A fleet-wide TCMalloc deployment ends gradual MariaDB memory growth on InMotion’s shared servers. Customers benefit with zero changes required.
, /PRNewswire/ — InMotion Hosting announced the successful fleet-wide deployment of TCMalloc, an open-source memory management tool originally developed by Google, across its shared hosting servers. The change replaces the default memory tool that ships with Linux and addresses a long-standing database problem that has caused website crashes and slowdowns industry-wide. The rollout is already making a noticeable difference in performance reliability for customers.
What TCMalloc is, and Why it Matters
Every server uses a memory allocator, a low-level tool that decides how programs store and release memory while they run. Most Linux servers rely on the default allocator that ships with the operating system, called glibc malloc. It works for most things, but it has a known weakness: under sustained database workloads, it tends to hold onto memory that should have been released, and that memory piles up over time.
TCMalloc, built by Google for its own high-traffic services, handles this job differently. It keeps memory organized more efficiently and returns unused memory to the operating system more predictably. For databases that run 24/7 under heavy load, that difference is significant.
The Problem Customers Were Experiencing (Even if They Didn’t Know It)
Most websites store content, like blog posts, products, and user accounts, in a database. On shared hosting, a single server runs the database software for many websites at once. If that database runs into an issue, every website on that server feels it.
MySQL and MariaDB are the databases that power a large share of the web, including WordPress sites, ecommerce platforms, and SaaS applications. On a typical shared server, database memory usage climbed steadily until it exceeded a critical limit. The server would then force a crash to recover, and the cycle would repeat. This resulted in websites going offline, loading slowly, or throwing errors until the database came back up. For years, hosting companies have blamed this on the database itself.
InMotion’s engineers took a closer look. They saw the real problem was rooted in the default memory allocator. The Systems team replaced it with TCMalloc fleet-wide. The fragmentation pattern that had been driving up memory usage disappeared.
“Gradual MySQL memory growth usually looks like a database leak. But the real problem sits one layer deeper in the memory allocator,” explains Sean Combs, Tier 3 Systems Administration Technical Team Lead at InMotion Hosting. “Switching to TCMalloc gave our shared servers predictable memory behavior and removed an entire class of incidents that most providers can’t usually address at the infrastructure level.”
After the fix, memory stopped growing. The engineering team monitored the servers for two weeks after the change and observed that memory usage had completely stabilized.
What This Means for Customers
Across the entire shared fleet, the difference was dramatic. MariaDB memory usage dropped by more than 50% after the switch to TCMalloc, with some of InMotion’s most heavy workload servers using up to 77% less memory on average. For customers, the difference is immediate:
- Fewer service interruptions. Crashes caused by out-of-memory kills are gone.
- More consistent performance. With memory stable, there are no slow periods as servers approach their memory limits.
- More headroom on the server. Freed-up memory means the server can handle more traffic smoothly, especially during peak periods.
- No action required. The rollout happened in the background: no updates, no reconfiguration, no downtime.
Why InMotion Could Pull This Off
InMotion owns its servers and builds its own network. When its engineers spotted a problem, they could issue a fix without coordinating through third parties. Erik Soroka, Director of IT and Data Center Operations, led the change alongside the broader Systems team, who documented the work for the wider MySQL and MariaDB operator community.
“This is the work our customers don’t see but do enjoy every day,” says Erik Soroka. “Our Systems team looks for problems worth solving at the server layer, then solves them without asking customers to change anything. That is what it means to own your infrastructure.”
The full technical walkthrough, including implementation steps, systemd configuration, and verification commands, is available on the InMotion Hosting support site: How InMotion Hosting Solved MySQL Memory Leaks at Scale with TCMalloc.
Need similar performance gains on your VPS or Dedicated Server? Customers running VPS Hosting, Dedicated Servers, or High Capacity (CC) Servers who want custom memory tuning, database optimization, or other server-layer configuration work can work with the InMotion Solutions team.
InMotion Solutions is the company’s advanced consulting group, staffed by experienced engineers who handle site transfers, performance tuning, firewall configuration, software installation, and custom server setup. Contact InMotion sales to add InMotion Solutions hours to your plan, or learn more at https://www.inmotionhosting.com/solutions/inmotion-solutions.
About InMotion Hosting
InMotion Hosting delivers high-performance web hosting, cloud infrastructure, and managed services to businesses, developers, and entrepreneurs around the world. Privately held and proudly independent since 2001, the company serves over 170,000 customers with cutting-edge technology, 24/7 expert human support, and a deep commitment to open source innovation. InMotion Hosting is driven by the belief that every customer deserves exceptional support.
For more information, visit inmotionhosting.com or follow InMotion Hosting on Facebook, X, LinkedIn, and YouTube.
Media Contact:
Carrie Smaha
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SOURCE InMotion Hosting, Inc
