This thread is resolved. Here is a description of the problem and solution.
Problem: The client's high-traffic corporate website experienced a downtime due to an unexpected traffic spike, with potential issues related to WPML observed in the SQL query logs. It was unclear whether the problem stemmed from WPML or another plugin affecting WPML’s performance. Solution: We recommended increasing the WordPress memory limit to at least 256 MB as WPML requires a minimum of 128 MB. The client was advised to add the following code to the wp-config.php file:
define('WP_MEMORY_LIMIT', '256M');
just before the comment:
// That's all, stop editing! Happy blogging.
Additionally, we suggested ensuring all themes, plugins, and WordPress itself are updated to their latest versions to avoid bugs or performance issues. We also recommended checking for any conflicts by switching to a default WordPress theme and deactivating all plugins except WPML and its add-ons and Elementor. If the problem persisted, the client was to activate plugins one by one to identify the problematic plugin. For further details on managing translations and optimizing WPML with caching, we provided links to our documentation:
If these steps do not resolve the issue or if the solution seems outdated or irrelevant, we highly recommend checking related known issues at https://wpml.org/known-issues/, verifying the version of the permanent fix, and confirming that you have installed the latest versions of themes and plugins. If further assistance is needed, please open a new support ticket at WPML support forum.
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Background of the issue:
We run a high-traffic corporate website, and last week we experienced an unexpected traffic spike that caused the site to go down. Upon reviewing the SQL query logs, we noticed potential issues related to WPML.
At this stage, it’s unclear whether the problem stems from the WPML setup itself or if another plugin triggered the spike, which in turn affected WPML’s performance.
Would it be possible to invite your support team to access our website admin area to review the setup and assist with troubleshooting? I’ve attached screenshots from the time of the spike, in case they help identify any known issues. I’m also happy to provide any additional information you may need.
Symptoms:
The site went down due to an unexpected traffic spike, and there are potential issues related to WPML observed in the SQL query logs.
Questions:
Would it be possible to invite your support team to access our website admin area to review the setup and assist with troubleshooting?
Could you please increase the WordPress memory limit (WP Memory Limit) to at least 256 MB? WPML requires at least 128 MB.
Your current values are:
PHP Memory Limit 1024 MB
WP Memory Limit 40 MB
Please verify the current memory usage at WPML > Support > PHP and adjust the WP MEMORY LIMIT accordingly, so that the limit is at least 128M, and if the current memory usage is higher than this value, adjust accordingly.
To do this, connect to your website's server and open the wp-config.php file in a text editor. The file is located in the WordPress root directory.
Add this code to the wp-config.php file to increase WordPress memory:
define ('WP_MEMORY_LIMIT', '256M');
Add this just before this comment:
// That's all, stop editing! Happy blogging.
The current values can be viewed under WPML > Support > WordPress.
These settings can be restricted directly by your hosting provider. Therefore, I recommend contacting them and asking them to make the changes directly if the changes are not applied immediately.
If you will again run into the issue again after adjusting the limit, then please let us know.
Not having sufficient allocated WP Memory Limit can cause events as you experienced. Just from the provided information, I can not tell if WPML was part of this problem. You wrote that last week you experienced an unexpected traffic spike. This, in itself, combined with an insufficient WP Memory Limit, can crash a site.
Has this problem happened again since then?
I can check things on your site as you requested, but from my experience, it will be hard to decipher anything on that past event.
If you want to proceed, please share the access details to your site with me. I'm enabling a private message for the following reply.
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We have strict policies regarding privacy and access to your information. Please see: https://wpml.org/purchase/support-policy/privacy-and-security-when-providing-debug-information-for-support/ **IMPORTANT**
- - Please backup the site files and database before providing us access. --
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My first suggestion would be to ensure that everything (theme, plugins, and WordPress itself) is updated to their latest versions. This will eliminate any concerns about bugs or performance issues that have already been solved in the latest versions. I might not be telling you any new news regarding this, but I mention this because I can see that theme and many active plugins on your site are not updated to their latest versions.
To check for any conflicts with themes or plugins that might cause a performance issue or a fatal error, we suggest proceeding with the following procedure. If possible, get your site into a minimum environment, switching to a default WordPress theme like TwentyTwenty-Four and having no plugins activated except WPML.
First, you must check if the problem persists when just the theme is switched to the parent Hello theme. If it persists, deactivate all plugins except WPML and its add-ons and Elementor itself without any extensions. Then, please check if the problem persists. If it does not continue, start by activating the plugins individually and checking when the issue comes back, then report to me which plugin was the culprit.
**** Important! Please make a full site backup (files and DB) before you proceed with those steps****
*** If your site is live, you might want to try those procedures in a staging environment or a snapshot of your site on your local server or another server. ***
Regarding WPML settings on your site, in general, they seem all right. However, in WPML -> Languages -> Make themes work multilingual, you may want to check the 'Adjust IDs for multilingual functionality' option and click the Save button. By default, it is enabled and in general helps with making things work multilingual-wise better.
You wrote:
Just to flag – we don’t need online translations or translation management, as all translations are done in-house in WordPress Editor/Elementor.
