This document provides tips for improving the performance of ASP.NET applications. It discusses ways to optimize ASP.NET pages by reducing page size, minimizing viewstate, and adding caching. It also recommends optimizing database queries, using asynchronous calls judiciously, and profiling SQL to identify inefficient queries. Configuration tips include enabling compression, removing unnecessary HTTP modules, and setting the application pool start mode to AlwaysRunning.

1. Simple steps to improve
performance of ASP.NET Application
Brij Bhushan Mishra

2. Agenda
 Introduction
 Improving ASP.NET Website Performance
 Development Tips
 Some more development tips
 Configuration Tips
 Some more Configurations Tips
 Conclusion

3. About Me
 Brij Bhushan Mishra
 Microsoft ASP.NET/IIS MVP
 Former CodeProject MVP
 Blogger/Author/Speaker
 http://brijbhushan.net
 @brij_bhushan
 brij.mishra@outlook.com

4. ASP.NET Pages
 Keep Page size small
 Include all the referred files (CSS, JS, images)
 Move CSS/Javascript to separate files
 Remove HTML comments, Extra spaces
 Ensure all are cached at Clients
 Use isPostback judicially

5. ASP.NET Pages
 Check your PageSource and see the __VIEWSTATE
variable
 Minimize ViewState – Turn off if not using
 ASP.NET 4 : Enable ViewState at Control Level
 Controls got a new property ViewStateMode
 Enabled
 Disabled
 Inherit
Demo

6. ASP.NET Pages
 Add Caching Wherever appropriate
 Output
 Fragment
 Cache API
 Avoid using Application variable, use cache
instead. Cache is robust and provides a wide
list of options for intelligently managing
application level data

7. Paging at Database level
 Most of us do paging at Application level.
 It could be hazardous if you have large amount of
data
 Optimize the paging based on your requirement and
data

8. Lazy Loading is not a Silver Bullet
 Lazyloading is good but not every time.
 Blindly enabling lazy loading and using it could
degrade the performance. You might end up hitting
database again and again that could be easily
loaded in single database hit.

9. Use Ajax calls judiciously
 Avoid UpdatePanels
 Prefer ClientSide Ajax (True Ajax)
Demo

10. Use SQL profiler to check the hits
 Run the SQL profiler when access your page.
 You might be unknowingly hitting database several
times. It’s very common using any ORM tool like
Entity Framework
 This is one of the main reason of slow applications

11. Use using to avoid Memory Leaks
 If a Type implements IDisposable then it is a right
candidate to use with using statement.
 While leaving the using block, Dispose method will
be itself called.

12. Fixed the Width and Height <img />
 If you know the width and height of an image.
Provide it before hand else your browser will keep
guessing until it get downloaded.
 Page loads faster because browser assigns the
required areas to image before it gets downloaded

13. Understand Loops
 Best loop For
 Next Foreach (IEnumerable)
 Linq loops

14. String, StringBuilder, String.join
 For static strings, use string.
 For string manipulation, StringBuilder should be
used.
 The StringBuilder class starts with a default initial capacity
of 16
 If you know the max size that will be taken care by
stringbuilder, create you object like
StringBuilder sb = new StringBuilder(2000);
 StringBuilder is not best in every case
 If you have already set of fixed set of string to
concatenate, use string.join

15. Image Sprites
 Have lots of images and paying an HTTPRequest for
each of them on your page?
 ASP.NET provides a solution that is available via
Nuget Package
 Run the Nuget package - Install-Package
AspNetSprites-WebFormsControl
Demo

16. Bundling and Minification
 This feature is introduced in ASP.NET 4.5.
 This enables to bundle all the script files into single
file while loading at the browser. Minification is also
applied to these files so that it’s size get reduced
 Prior to ASP.NET 4.5, people used to write their own
custom code or some third party plugins to achieve
it.
Demo

17. Script reference at bottom of the page
 Reference the scripts files at bottom of the page.
 Problem with scripts that It blocks parallel download

18. HTTPCompression
 Turn on HTTPCompression for static and dynamic
content (for dynamic content, give time to decide)
 It reduces the size significantly of HTML content
 For, IIS7 and IIS 8, go to IIS Manager -> Feature
View of the website . Click on Compression and
enable.
 Only compress which file size is larger. (more than few
bytes)
 IIS 6 – Can be done via running some coomand, I
have written a post on it.
http://brijbhushan.net/2010/10/17/how-to-enable-
httpcompression-at-iis6/

19. Review the files that you are downloading
each page
 ASP.NET project by default provides many scripts
and other file with default project template. Remove
them if you are not using it.
 Also, have another check while shipping the project

20. Remove HTTP Modules
 ASP.NET Page request processing
Request Response
HTTPModule 1
HTTPModule 2
HTTPModule 3
.
.
.
HTTPModule n
HTTP Handler

21. Remove HTTP Modules contd.
 There are many HTTPModules by default enabled.
 Remove all the modules which is not used
Demo

22. Use startMode Attribute
 Whenever a site is updated, IIS recompiles the
application at first request. It may take long on the
first request.
 Also, most of the time, we load lot of data in cache
etc at first request.
 This attribute is part of IIS and is available
applicationHost.config at
C:WindowsSystem32inetsrvconfigapplicationHost.config
 It is set at application pool level as
 <applicationPools>
 <add name="MyAppWorkerProcess" managedRuntimeVersion="v4.0"
startMode="AlwaysRunning" />
 </applicationPools>

23. Conclusion
 Questions?
 Thank You