When you think limits, a barrier comes to mind. However, limits are placed for your benefit and security.
All our shared hosting linux plans have a file limit of 100,000 files. This is true to both single and multi-domain plans, including unlimited storage servers.
Why can't I have more than 100,000 files on my plan, if I have an "unlimited" plan?
True, you have an unlimited plan, and reaching 100,000 files is a great feat that not many have managed. However, if your needs far exceed this limit, you probably need to consider Cloud, VPS or Dedicated Server which provide a better solution to this limitation.
One way you can reach this limit is if you have several joomla, wordpress, magento or similar CMS engines that use a great amount of files to make sure your site runs smoothly and securely.
If, however, you only have 1 main site and you still are reaching a 100% swap or unusual site behavior, you may need to delete some unnecessary orphan files that are wasting swap cache resources. You may also be a victim of account hijacking. This is very uncommon but may have happened due to an exploit in your code.
I have a great amount of files, what can I do?
Luckily, we have several options and server choices that can solve this dilema and we can help you migrate to a bigger server whenever you are ready. Let us know briefly some of your specific requirements and we'll integrate a solution that is right for you.
Please be aware that you must adhere to our server usage rules to avoid having your server suspended or account cancelled in the worse case scenario.
What happens when I reach this file number limit?
In the best case scenario, you will not see any noticeable difference. However, when the server has too many files to index, you may start seeing some performance issues, or errors with the displaying of some files or web pages. If you are trying to install a new CMS, it will fail with some errors or may complete but perform erratically.
What could cause this?
Many times cache files far exceed their recommended lifetime and amount on the server. You, as administrator, have to make sure to empty outdated cache and remove unnecessary files from your servers.
Always make a backup of your content, preferably with as few sub-levels as possible, and avoid extremely long file names. You do not want to lose precious data due to poor file naming practices or corrupted backups.
Why should I avoid long file names?
Windows and sometimes OS X and Linux will have trouble indexing extremely long file name strings when copying or moving files to a different directory. By doing this, you'll have to rename a file or folder to something more convencional. However, by doing this, your files may not be accessed correctly anymore and you'll have to find the code string that links to that particular file. This is also true if your folder names are far too long, even if your goal is SEF URLs (Search Engine Friendly Universal Resource Locators a.k.a Web Links), strings too long may be ignored or fail to backup in a worst case scenario. Always use the KISS Principle (Keep it Short and Simple).
For good and reliable backups, we recommend using the CodeGuard plan that best fits your needs.
If you have additional questions, don't hesitate to contact us. We're here to help
