Support

We are experiencing a critical production issue related to JFilters, which causes:

• MySQL CPU usage spikes up to 150%

• MySQL connection timeout

• Server instability and crash

• Error: mysqli_sql_exception: MySQL server has gone away

This issue occurs repeatedly when JFilters is processing filters and routing on the frontend.

The stack trace shows that the issue originates from JFilters database collection loading and nested filter processing, specifically:

• com_jfilters/src/Model/Collection/Db.php

• AbstractCollection->loadWithFilters()

• Filter/Option/Collection/Filtered/Nested

• Router rule parsing:
  components/com_jfilters/src/Service/Router/Rules/FilterRules.php

• JFilters executes very heavy database queries during:

  • Filter option loading

  • Nested filter creation

  • SEF routing parsing

• These queries appear to:

  • Load large datasets

  • Run repeatedly per request

  • Possibly lack proper query optimization, indexing, or caching

• As traffic increases, MySQL connections pile up until:

  • mysqli->ping() fails

  • MySQL drops connections (MySQL server has gone away)

  • Joomla frontend returns 500 error

  • Backend becomes inaccessible

Hi Sakinho,

Thank you for your response and clarification.

To answer your questions:

• Previously, we were running JFilters 1.15, and the website was stable.

• After updating to version 1.18, we started experiencing the MySQL overload and timeout issues described above.

• We then tried updating further to version 1.20, however:

  • Both frontend and backend became very slow

  • Frequent MySQL connection timeouts

  • Eventually, we were unable to access the backend at all

As a temporary mitigation, we renamed the JFilters component directory to regain access to the Joomla backend and frontend.
However, all pages related to JFilters currently return 500 errors.

At this point, we would like to ask:
-> Is it safe and supported to downgrade back to version 1.15?
If yes, are there any specific steps or database changes we should be aware of?

Hi Sakis,

Thank you for your reply and clarification.

I would like to update you on what we have tested so far.

We have already:

• Applied robots: noindex, nofollow to the menu items/pages that use JFilters

• Re-enabled JFilters carefully and monitored the system

Observed result:

• After applying noindex/nofollow, the system appears stable for a short period (around 3–4 hours)

• However, the issue still reoccurs afterward:

  • MySQL CPU usage spikes again

  • Frontend and backend become very slow

  • In some cases, we still encounter connection timeouts

Hi Sakis,

Just a quick update.

I noticed the Cache Time in JFilters was set to 1 minute,
so I increased it to 10080 minutes (~1 week) (see attached screenshot).

Could you please confirm:

• Will this help reduce DB load and CPU spikes?

• Is it safe to keep this value long-term?

• Do you have a recommended cache time for high-traffic sites?

Thank you,
David

Hi Sakis,

Thank you for the clarification.

Currently, I am still using version 1.20 and I haven’t installed the beta yet.

Could you please advise:

• Should I uninstall v1.20 first before installing the beta?

• Or is it safe to install the beta directly over v1.20?

Also, if I install the beta:

• Will it affect existing layouts, formats, or filter fields that I have already configured?

• Is there any risk of losing current settings or configurations?

Thank you for your guidance,
David

Hi Sakis,

Thank you for the clarification.

I have now updated to version 1.21.

So far:

• I haven’t noticed any abnormal behavior

• Everything seems stable at the moment

However, I will continue monitoring the system for a few more days to make sure the issue is fully resolved.

I will keep you updated if anything changes.

Kind regards,
David