Table of Contents:

  1. Introduction

  2. Understanding the Problem

  3. How Dolibarr Works Over the Web

  4. Hosting Environments and Their Impact

  5. Common Symptoms of Dolibarr Response Issues

  6. Root Causes of Internet-Related Performance Problems

  7. Network-Related Troubleshooting

  8. Server-Side Configuration Checks

  9. PHP, Apache/Nginx, and MySQL Optimization

  10. Understanding Timeouts and Slow Load Times

  11. DNS and Domain Configuration Errors

  12. SSL/TLS and HTTPS Misconfigurations

  13. Browser Compatibility and Caching Issues

  14. Logs and Monitoring Tools in Dolibarr

  15. Firewall, Proxy, and Security Layer Impacts

  16. Content Delivery Networks (CDNs) and Cloud Setups

  17. Impact of Custom Modules and Themes

  18. Performance Tests and Benchmarking Tools

  19. Fixes for Shared Hosting vs. Dedicated Servers

  20. Preventative Measures and Long-Term Optimization

1. Introduction

When a business relies on Dolibarr ERP/CRM for daily operations, ensuring its responsiveness over the internet is mission-critical. Whether you're accessing it from a browser at the office or remotely from another city, the system must behave predictably. But what happens when Dolibarr doesn't respond properly online? From slow load times to complete access failures, such issues can hinder productivity and compromise customer experience.

This article will walk you through the full diagnostic process, root cause analysis, and recommended solutions to get Dolibarr running smoothly and reliably over the internet.

2. Understanding the Problem

When users say "Dolibarr is not responding on the internet," they may refer to:

  • Pages taking too long to load

  • Login failures

  • Broken links or unrendered content

  • Random logouts or session drops

  • Downtime or 500/502 errors

Understanding the specific symptom is the first step toward fixing it.

3. How Dolibarr Works Over the Web

Dolibarr is a web-based application built on PHP, using a MySQL/MariaDB database. It is usually deployed on:

  • A shared hosting server

  • A VPS/cloud server

  • A local server accessible through a public IP or domain

When accessed over the internet, Dolibarr depends on:

  • A web server (Apache/Nginx)

  • PHP interpreter

  • Database server

  • DNS routing

  • HTTPS (optional but highly recommended)

Each layer can introduce latency or failure points.

4. Hosting Environments and Their Impact

Different hosting setups will offer different performance levels. For example:

  • Shared hosting may throttle requests or restrict PHP settings

  • VPS servers allow custom configuration but require technical expertise

  • Dedicated servers provide full control but come with maintenance responsibilities

Ensure your hosting plan matches your usage and traffic load.

5. Common Symptoms of Dolibarr Response Issues

Symptoms include:

  • White screens (blank pages)

  • Long delays between page loads

  • 500 Internal Server Error

  • Inconsistent performance depending on user location

  • Unavailable modules or broken UI elements

These point to different technical problems, from configuration to server health.

6. Root Causes of Internet-Related Performance Problems

The most common causes are:

  • Poor server performance (CPU/memory constraints)

  • Slow DNS resolution

  • Poor PHP optimization

  • Misconfigured HTTPS redirects

  • Session handling errors due to cookies or server timeouts

  • Large queries without database indexing

7. Network-Related Troubleshooting

Start by checking:

  • Ping times from various locations

  • Traceroute to see packet travel path

  • Browser console for failed network requests

  • Server response headers

Use tools like:

  • ping.pe

  • GTmetrix

  • webpagetest.org

8. Server-Side Configuration Checks

Review the following files/settings:

  • /etc/php.ini

  • Apache’s .htaccess or Nginx’s conf files

  • MySQL’s my.cnf

  • Dolibarr’s conf.php

Make sure PHP memory limits, max execution times, and buffer sizes are adequate.

9. PHP, Apache/Nginx, and MySQL Optimization

Tune:

  • memory_limit = 512M

  • max_execution_time = 120

  • Enable OPcache in PHP

  • Use keepalive and gzip in Apache/Nginx

  • Optimize slow queries in MySQL

Also check for outdated modules or missing dependencies.

10. Understanding Timeouts and Slow Load Times

Timeouts usually come from:

  • Long database queries

  • External API calls stalling

  • PHP scripts exceeding limits

Use logs in /dolibarr/documents/admin/ to identify timing issues.

11. DNS and Domain Configuration Errors

Ensure:

  • DNS records point to correct server

  • No propagation delays for recent changes

  • No DNSSEC misconfiguration

  • TTL (time-to-live) values are optimized

Check with tools like dnschecker.org.

12. SSL/TLS and HTTPS Misconfigurations

If HTTPS is enforced, verify:

  • SSL certificate is valid and up to date

  • No mixed-content errors (HTTP resources on HTTPS site)

  • HSTS settings aren’t blocking traffic

  • TLS versions are compatible with browsers

Use SSL Labs to verify security grade.

13. Browser Compatibility and Caching Issues

Test Dolibarr on multiple browsers. If issues appear only in one:

  • Clear browser cache

  • Disable browser extensions

  • Check for JS errors in console

Also, ensure the server sends correct cache-control headers.

14. Logs and Monitoring Tools in Dolibarr

Dolibarr has built-in logs under: Home > Admin Tools > Logs

You can also enable verbose logging in conf.php. Use external tools like:

  • Logwatch

  • Netdata

  • Monit

15. Firewall, Proxy, and Security Layer Impacts

Your ISP or hosting provider may use:

  • WAF (Web Application Firewall)

  • IP blocks or geolocation filters

  • Rate limiting proxies

Temporarily disable these (if possible) or whitelist your IP to test.

16. Content Delivery Networks (CDNs) and Cloud Setups

If you use a CDN:

  • Make sure origin server is reachable

  • Check for stale or incorrect cached versions

  • Validate CORS headers

CDNs improve performance but can complicate debugging.

17. Impact of Custom Modules and Themes

Third-party or poorly coded custom modules can degrade performance. Disable all extras temporarily:

  • Rename their directories in htdocs/custom

  • Reactivate one-by-one while testing

18. Performance Tests and Benchmarking Tools

Use:

  • ApacheBench (ab)

  • Siege or JMeter for stress testing

  • Blackfire or Xdebug for profiling PHP performance

Look for memory leaks, bottlenecks, and high CPU processes.

19. Fixes for Shared Hosting vs. Dedicated Servers

On shared hosting:

  • Ask provider to increase memory and timeouts

  • Use caching layers like APCu

On dedicated/VPS:

  • Use Redis or Memcached for sessions

  • Install a full LAMP/LEMP stack tuned for performance

20. Preventative Measures and Long-Term Optimization

  • Keep Dolibarr and all modules updated

  • Use stable versions over nightly builds

  • Schedule regular database maintenance (optimize tables, clean logs)

  • Employ regular monitoring and alerting systems

Conclusion

Dolibarr’s performance over the internet depends on a complex interaction between application, server, network, and user environment. By following this comprehensive checklist, you can isolate issues, apply targeted fixes, and build a more resilient Dolibarr experience. Don’t wait for users to complain—proactive monitoring and optimization will ensure your ERP works efficiently, securely, and consistently, no matter where it’s accessed from.