Overview
This article provides an overview of what can cause slow uploads to your site, or what can prevent you from uploading in general.
Does DreamHost limit upload speeds?
DreamHost does not limit upload speeds. If you notice slow uploads, the most common causes are:
- The Network connection is bad
- Local Internet is slow
- You have a firewall program that is blocking you
- Your router is blocking you
There can be other reasons, but these are the most common issues.
Internet connection issues
If you can upload files but the speed is slow, your connection to the site may be timing out. It’s also possible that your local Internet Service Provider (ISP) is bottlenecking the upload speed. To troubleshoot further, you can use the following tools.
Running a traceroute
Running a traceroute lets you detect connection problems between your location and the server. If you see that hops are timing out, contact your ISP, as this can impact your upload speeds. See this article to learn more about how traceroutes work and how to run them.
Checking your Internet speed
The speed at which your data uploads is limited by the speed of your connection. You can check your connection speed here.
If the results provided in the test are unsatisfactory, you need to speak to your ISP about steps you can take to improve the speed.
FTP connection issues
If your FTP connection fails to allow you to upload at all, it is likely something on your local network or computer that is blocking the connection.
Disabling your firewall
Many firewalls block access to port 21, which is used by FTP. If you turn off your firewall and the FTP connection works, then you need to adjust your firewall settings to allow port 21 (or port 22 for SFTP).
Routers can also block port 21. If turning off your firewall doesn’t resolve the issue, make sure your router is configured to allow access to port 21. If your firewall and router are set to allow access, but you still cannot upload, then please contact DreamHost support for further assistance.
Increasing your upload limits
If uploads fail when you use a WordPress plugin or any other alternate PHP-based uploading solution for your site, you could be hitting the limits of your PHP settings. If you get 500 errors when trying to upload, or the site spins endlessly and nothing happens, this may be the case.
You may wish to add a custom phprc file to your site to increase upload limits and execution times. You can read more about these related PHP issues in the following articles: