Break server response time into its processing stages and find the bottleneck.
A high cache hit rate collapses average response time even when the uncached path is slow. External API calls are often the largest component and the hardest to cache safely. Requests per second per worker follows directly from response time, which is what determines how many workers a traffic level needs.
Server Response Time
Average response = uncached time × miss rate + cached time × hit rate
Average response = uncached time × miss rate + cached time × hit rate A high cache hit rate collapses average response time even when the uncached path is slow. External API calls are often the largest component and the hardest to cache safely.
Requests per second per worker follows directly from response time, which is what determines how many workers a traffic level needs.
This calculator takes 5 inputs: Database query time, Application processing, Template rendering, External API calls, Cache hit rate. The pre-filled defaults are a realistic starting point — replace them with figures from your own environment for a result you can act on.