How to Check Your Hosting Resource Usage

Overview

Your hosting account has more than just a storage limit.

Depending on your hosting plan, your account may also have limits or allocations involving resources such as:

CPU
Memory
Entry processes
Running processes
Disk I/O
Database activity
File count
Bandwidth or data transfer
Other server resources

These resources allow your website and applications to operate properly.

If a website suddenly becomes slow, returns errors, or stops responding, resource usage can sometimes be the cause.

Disk Space Is Not the Same as Server Resources

It is possible to have plenty of available storage while still using too many server resources.

For example, imagine your account has:

Storage:      Plenty available
CPU:          Frequently reaching its limit
Memory:       Frequently reaching its limit

Your website could still experience performance problems even though you have plenty of free disk space.

This is why it is important to look at the type of resource being affected rather than assuming every hosting problem is caused by storage.

Where to Check Resource Usage

On supported cPanel hosting accounts, resource information may be available through:

cPanel → Metrics → Resource Usage

The exact information shown depends on your hosting plan and the configuration of the server.

You may see information about resources such as:

CPU usage
Memory usage
Entry processes
Processes
Faults or limits reached
Resource usage over time

If the Resource Usage feature is not available on your account, your hosting plan or server configuration may not expose that information directly through cPanel.

If you believe you're experiencing resource-related problems, contact Have Freedom Hosting Support.

Understanding CPU Usage

CPU represents the amount of processing work your website is asking the server to perform.

A website may use more CPU when it is:

Receiving a lot of traffic.
Running complex PHP scripts.
Performing database-intensive operations.
Generating pages dynamically.
Running scheduled tasks.
Processing large amounts of data.
Running poorly optimized plugins or applications.

Occasional increases in CPU usage are normal.

The concern is repeated or sustained resource usage that reaches your account's limits.

Understanding Memory Usage

Memory, commonly referred to as RAM, is used by your website and its applications while they are running.

Memory usage can increase when:

WordPress loads many plugins.
A plugin performs a large operation.
A website processes large files.
An application performs complex tasks.
Multiple requests are being processed at once.

If your website regularly reaches its memory limits, it may produce errors or become unstable.

Simply increasing PHP's memory limit does not necessarily solve the underlying problem.

The application may actually need optimization or additional hosting resources.

Understanding Entry Processes

An entry process generally represents a web request being handled by your hosting account.

For example, multiple visitors loading pages at the same time can create multiple requests.

A website may use more entry processes when:

Traffic increases.
Pages take a long time to generate.
PHP requests become stuck.
Plugins perform slow operations.
External services delay responses.

A website that regularly reaches its entry-process limit may appear slow or intermittently unavailable.

Understanding Processes

Your hosting account may also have limits on the number of processes that can run simultaneously.

Processes can be created by:

Website requests.
PHP applications.
Cron jobs.
WordPress tasks.
Background applications.
Other hosting services.

A sudden increase in processes may indicate:

Increased traffic.
A scheduled task.
A malfunctioning application.
A plugin problem.
An unusually large workload.

Understanding Resource Faults

Depending on your hosting configuration, cPanel may show faults or other indicators when your account reaches a resource limit.

A fault does not necessarily mean your website is permanently broken.

It means the account attempted to use more of a particular resource than was available at that moment.

Repeated faults are more useful than a single isolated occurrence.

For example:

One isolated resource fault

is generally less concerning than:

Repeated resource faults every few minutes

The pattern can help identify whether a website has an ongoing resource problem.

Look for Patterns

When investigating resource usage, pay attention to when the problem occurs.

Ask:

Does it happen constantly?
Does it happen during specific hours?
Does it happen when traffic increases?
Does it happen during backups?
Does it happen during WordPress updates?
Does it happen when cron jobs run?
Did it begin after installing a plugin?
Did it begin after a website redesign?

Patterns can provide important clues.

Check Your Website Traffic

A sudden increase in visitors can naturally increase resource usage.

This may happen because of:

A successful marketing campaign.
A social media post.
A news article.
Search engine traffic.
A seasonal event.
A popular product.
Automated traffic.
Bots or crawlers.

Not all traffic is necessarily legitimate human visitors.

If resource usage increased suddenly without an obvious reason, investigate the traffic before assuming that you simply need a larger hosting plan.

Check WordPress Plugins

WordPress plugins are a common source of resource usage.

A plugin may consume significant resources when it:

Performs database queries.
Scans large numbers of files.
Creates backups.
Generates thumbnails.
Processes forms.
Performs security scans.
Imports or exports data.
Runs scheduled tasks.

If resource usage increased after installing or updating a plugin, that plugin deserves investigation.

Do not automatically assume the plugin is broken, but use the timing as a clue.

Check WordPress Themes

Themes can also affect resource usage.

A heavily customized theme or poorly optimized theme may require more processing than a simpler one.

If performance problems began immediately after changing themes, test whether the previous configuration behaves differently.

Check Cron Jobs

Scheduled tasks can consume resources when they run.

Review:

cPanel → Advanced → Cron Jobs

The exact location or availability may vary by cPanel configuration.

Look for jobs that:

Run extremely frequently.
Take a long time to complete.
Run unnecessary scripts.
Overlap with other jobs.
Were created by an application you no longer use.

Do not delete cron jobs simply because you don't recognize them.

Some applications depend on them.

Check Your PHP Version

PHP applications depend on the PHP environment provided by your hosting account.

You can review PHP versions through:

cPanel → Software → MultiPHP Manager

If your website is using an outdated or incompatible PHP version, it may perform poorly or experience application problems.

Changing PHP versions can also cause compatibility issues, so make changes carefully and test afterward.

Check Your PHP Configuration

Some applications require specific PHP settings or extensions.

If your application is reaching resource limits, review whether it is properly configured.

However, increasing limits without understanding the cause may simply allow the application to consume more resources.

A larger PHP memory limit, for example, does not automatically make inefficient code more efficient.

Check Database Activity

Databases are an important part of many websites.

WordPress and other applications may perform large numbers of database queries.

Resource usage can increase because of:

Large databases.
Poorly optimized queries.
Excessive post revisions.
Plugin activity.
Search operations.
E-commerce activity.
Reporting tools.
Large imports or exports.

If your website is database-heavy, investigate the database as part of your troubleshooting process.

Check for Automated or Malicious Traffic

Not all resource usage comes from legitimate visitors.

Your website may receive automated requests from:

Search engine crawlers.
Monitoring services.
Bots.
Scrapers.
Vulnerability scanners.
Malicious traffic.

A sudden increase in automated requests can consume significant resources.

If you suspect malicious traffic, review your website logs and consider additional website security protections.

Have Freedom Hosting offers website firewall and malware scanning services that can provide an additional layer of protection for supported websites.

Check Your Website Logs

Logs can help identify what your website is doing when resource usage increases.

Depending on your configuration, useful information may include:

Repeated requests.
PHP errors.
Failed requests.
Suspicious URLs.
Automated traffic.
Application errors.

Look for patterns rather than focusing on a single request.

If you're unsure how to interpret the information, Have Freedom Hosting Support can help determine whether the activity appears unusual.

Consider Caching

Caching can reduce the amount of work your server needs to perform for repeated requests.

Depending on your website, caching may be provided by:

WordPress plugins.
Your hosting environment.
A CDN.
Your website application.

Caching isn't appropriate for every website configuration, and poorly configured caching can cause its own problems.

If you're using WordPress, make sure you don't install multiple caching systems that conflict with each other.

Consider Website Optimization

If your website consistently uses significant resources, optimization may be more appropriate than immediately upgrading your hosting plan.

Possible improvements include:

Removing unnecessary plugins.
Updating outdated software.
Optimizing images.
Reducing unnecessary database queries.
Improving caching.
Removing unused applications.
Optimizing scheduled tasks.
Reducing unnecessary external requests.

Make one change at a time so you can determine whether it actually helped.

When Should You Consider More Hosting Resources?

Sometimes your website is simply becoming more successful.

You may need additional resources if:

Traffic has grown substantially.
Your website has become more complex.
You're running an online store.
You're adding more applications.
Resource usage consistently approaches your plan's limits.
Optimization no longer provides enough capacity.

Have Freedom Hosting can help you determine whether your current hosting plan is still appropriate or whether another hosting option would better fit your needs.

Don't Confuse Resource Usage With an Outage

High resource usage and a server outage are different problems.

Your website may still be online while using excessive resources.

Likewise, a completely unavailable website may have nothing to do with resource usage.

If you're experiencing an outage, first determine whether the issue is:

Website-specific.
Domain-specific.
Account-specific.
Resource-related.
Server-wide.

This will help you troubleshoot the correct problem.

What Not to Do

Avoid:

Changing multiple settings at once.
Randomly disabling plugins.
Increasing resource limits without understanding why they're being reached.
Deleting cron jobs without knowing what they do.
Assuming every traffic spike is malicious.
Assuming every slow website needs a larger hosting plan.
Ignoring repeated resource-limit warnings.

Resource problems are much easier to solve when you know what is consuming the resources.

When to Contact Have Freedom Hosting

Contact Have Freedom Hosting Support if:

Your cPanel resource usage shows repeated limits or faults.
Your website becomes slow or unavailable during resource spikes.
You cannot determine what is consuming your resources.
You suspect unusual or malicious traffic.
You need help interpreting resource usage information.
You believe your website has outgrown its current hosting plan.
You suspect a server-side issue.

When opening a support ticket, include:

Your domain.
The approximate time the problem occurs.
What the website is doing when the problem occurs.
Any resource warnings shown in cPanel.
Recent website changes.
Any unusual traffic you've noticed.
Screenshots of relevant resource information.

Never provide your hosting password or other authentication credentials in a support ticket.

Quick Resource Usage Checklist

Check cPanel → Metrics → Resource Usage if available.
Look for repeated resource limits or faults.
Check when the resource usage occurs.
Review recent website changes.
Check WordPress plugins and themes.
Review Cron Jobs.
Check your PHP version.
Review PHP configuration.
Check database activity.
Look for unusual traffic.
Review website logs.
Consider caching and website optimization.
Determine whether your website has outgrown its current plan.
Contact Have Freedom Hosting Support if you're unsure what is causing the problem.

Need Help?

Resource usage can be difficult to diagnose because several different parts of a website can contribute to the same problem.

If your account is repeatedly reaching resource limits, don't simply keep restarting or changing settings. Look for patterns, identify what is consuming the resources, and make changes one at a time.

If you're unsure what you're seeing in cPanel or think your website needs more resources, Have Freedom Hosting Support can help you determine the appropriate next step.

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