Andy Sharp <asharp <at> nector.com> exclaimed:

• Date: Wed Nov 07 21:20:11 2001

• Traffic: 1,800,000 Unique Page Loads per day

• URL: http://everquest.allakhazam.com, http://camelot.allakhazam.com, http://eqbeastiary.allakhazam.com.

  Almost everything on the site runs in mod_perl.  We have 4 systems
  running the site, one static server (PIII 450, Linux,
  Apache/mod_proxy).  Two database servers (Dual P800, FreeBSD, Mysql)
  which are replicated, and the one mod_perl server (PIII 800, FreeBSD,
  Apache/mod_perl).  The idea to use the proxy server to intercept any
  requests for text or images which was not dynamic came directly from
  the mod_perl guide (http://perl.apache.org/docs/1.0/guide/).
  
  It's been a rough ride sometimes, as I've been in the process of
  learning the guts of Apache and more about perl than I ever thought
  I'd need to know.  Since the site first started, I've migrated from a
  Module based system, to Apache::Registry (I wasn't writing good enough
  perl for the module based system to work well), and more recently have
  been migrating high volume scripts back to the Module/Handler based
  system.
  
  That's been the true benefit of mod_perl in developing this site.
  It's been a learning process as we roll out a new application or area
  of the site, watching our hit load go up and up, and then spending
  hours looking for performance bottlenecks in code which was never
  intended to run as often as it does.
  
  mod_perl gives us an incredibly fast development time.  Sometimes, the
  speed of development does mean than lower quality code creeps into the
  production environment, but it allows us (me) to get things done which
  would take much much longer in another application environment.  Perls
  "there are many ways to do it" extends into mod_perl, meaning that I
  can try something new quickly, and come back later to optimize it.
  
  Amoung the features we have on the site:
  
  Application layer security, based on a custom written Session tracking
  system.  A recursively threaded forum system on every page, this
  system accounts for the bulk of the page views.  It's also real time
  in tems of both comments being added, and ratings to the messages
  propigating through.  User uploaded data through out the site, we
  allow players to track their characters, add meta information to
  database entries.  Detailed web based administration system based on
  the Application security layer.
  
  The speed of development of perl, coupled with the rich resources of
  CPAN, and the incredible power of mod_perl have made this site
  possible.
  
  Running the same site in other technologies would have been possible,
  but would either require more hardware, or more time to develop.