I opted for the most affordable hosting plan on unihost.com and successfully ran my online game with just 512MB of RAM. However, I encountered an error when trying to access the php file responsible for connecting to the MySQL database:

Fatal error: Allowed memory size of 268435456 bytes exhausted (tried to allocate 43 bytes) in /var/www/user/data/www/site.ru/GameEngine/Database/db_MYSQL.php on line 2986 (Today, I upgraded to a hosting plan with 1GB of RAM, but unfortunately, the issue still persists ;-( )

Now, I'm wondering how to resolve this problem. Should I consider upgrading to a hosting plan with 4GB of RAM?

Upgrading to a hosting plan with more RAM may help resolve the issue, but it's not the only solution. The error you are encountering suggests that your PHP application is exceeding the memory allocation limit set by the server.

Here are a few steps you can try to resolve the problem before upgrading to a new hosting plan:

1. Optimize your code: Review your PHP code and ensure that you are efficiently using memory. Look for any areas where you might be allocating excessive memory or using inefficient data structures. Consider optimizing database queries as well.

2. Adjust memory_limit in PHP configuration: You can try increasing the memory_limit value in your PHP configuration file (php.ini). Depending on your hosting provider, you may have the ability to modify this setting yourself or need to contact them for assistance.

3. Optimize MySQL queries: Make sure your database queries are efficient and properly indexed. Inefficient queries can consume significant memory resources.

4. Implement caching mechanisms: Use caching techniques like query caching or object caching to reduce the load on your server and improve overall performance.

5. Contact your hosting provider: If you've exhausted other options and the issue still persists, reach out to your hosting provider for assistance. They may have insights into potential server-side configuration optimizations or offer alternative hosting plans that better suit your game's requirements.

6. Optimize resource usage: Along with optimizing your code, make sure you're not using excessive resources in other areas. For example, carefully review any third-party libraries or plugins you're using and ensure they're not causing unnecessary memory consumption.

7. Enable opcode caching: Opcode caching can significantly improve PHP performance by storing pre-compiled script bytecode in memory. This reduces the need for PHP to recompile scripts on every request, thereby decreasing memory usage and improving response times. Popular opcode caching solutions include APCu, OPcache, or XCache.

8. Implement server-side caching: Utilize server-side caching mechanisms like Memcached or Redis. These systems store frequently accessed data in memory, reducing the need to query the database repeatedly and improving overall performance.

9. Check database configuration: Verify that your MySQL database is properly configured and optimized. Ensure that you have allocated sufficient resources and adjusted relevant settings such as innodb_buffer_pool_size, query_cache_size, and max_connections based on your application's requirements.

10. Monitor server resource usage: Regularly monitor your server's resource usage, including CPU, RAM, and disk IO. This will help identify any potential bottlenecks or areas where resource allocation can be optimized.

11. Enable gzip compression: Enable gzip compression for your website to reduce the size of transferred data between the server and clients. This can help reduce memory usage and improve overall performance.

12. Use a Content Delivery Network (CDN): Consider using a CDN to distribute static assets, such as images, CSS, and JavaScript files, across multiple servers worldwide. This reduces the load on your hosting server and can improve the performance of your game.

13. Use a lightweight PHP framework: If you're using a PHP framework, consider switching to a lighter alternative that consumes fewer resources. Some popular lightweight frameworks include Slim, Lumen, and Silex.

14. Optimize image sizes: Compress and optimize any images used in your game to reduce their file sizes without sacrificing quality. This can help reduce memory usage, especially if you have many images being loaded.

15. Monitor and analyze error logs: Regularly check your error logs to identify any specific errors or issues that may be causing excessive memory usage. This information can help pinpoint areas that require optimization.

16. Consider database optimizations: Apart from optimizing queries, you can also consider additional database optimizations such as partitioning large tables, tuning indexes, and optimizing database schema design.

The more the database expands, the greater the demand for memory.
Indeed, it is impractical to expect the successful launch of an online toy on a low-cost hosting service.
Furthermore, it should be noted that mysql_ functions have been designated as deprecated in php 5.5 and will eventually be eliminated in upcoming releases.

UPD: I strongly recommend specifying the fields in each request using Select*. This approach significantly reduces the memory load when utilizing mysql_fetch_assoc().

1) As mentioned before, it is unnecessary to utilize select * in every query when optimizing.


2) Could you please cease your meddling with the native mysql driver? PDO has been integrated for quite some time now.


3) Do you have any caching mechanism implemented? Additionally, it is important to consider caching for better performance.