The Fast Display Images feature is designed to improve performance and reduce memory usage in XenForo by bypassing the built-in PHP image handling. Instead of letting XenForo process and serve image attachments, this method uses either X-Sendfile (Apache) or X-Accel-Redirect (Nginx) to deliver files directly from the web server.
This approach is particularly useful for forums with large image attachments, as it lowers PHP’s workload and allows the web server to efficiently stream files to users.
Important note, when using this method, everyone can see all the images on the forum. If your forum needs image protection, you should not use it.
Key Benefits:
- Lower RAM usage: PHP does not load and buffer images.
- Better performance: Images are streamed directly by the web server.
- Scalable: Handles large files with minimal server overhead.
- Flexible: Supports both Apache (X-Sendfile) and Nginx (X-Accel-Redirect).
- A custom image.php script handles image requests.
- The script checks the attachment and, if available, sends headers for X-Sendfile or X-Accel-Redirect.
- The web server delivers the file directly, skipping PHP’s memory-intensive file reading.
1. Download and Configure image.php
- Download the provided image.php file. (XenVn Setting -> Attachments -> View All Image Attachments -> Fast Display Images)
- Open the file and configure:
- ACCELERATION -> Set to apache (Apache X-Sendfile) or nginx (Nginx X-Accel-Redirect).
- NGINX_ALIAS -> (Only for Nginx) Define the internal alias path if required.
- Upload image.php to the XenForo root directory.
Insert the following rules above the existing
RewriteRule ^.*$ index.php [NC,L] line:
Code:
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(2 lines)Configuring Apache with X-Sendfile
Step 1: Install the X-Sendfile Module
On Debian/Ubuntu:
Code:
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(1 lines)Step 2: Enable the Module
Code:
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(1 lines)Step 3: Configure Apache Virtual Host
Edit your XenForo site’s Apache configuration (e.g., /etc/apache2/sites-available/000-default.conf):
Code:
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(20 lines)Restart Apache:
Code:
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(1 lines)Step 4: Adjust image.php
Set:
PHP:
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(1 lines)Configuring Nginx with X-Accel-Redirect
Step 1: Define an Internal Alias
Edit your Nginx server block (e.g., /etc/nginx/sites-available/xenforo):
Code:
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(17 lines)Step 2: Adjust image.php
Set:
PHP:
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(2 lines)Step 3: Restart Nginx
Code:
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(1 lines)The Fast Display Images feature is a lightweight and powerful optimization for XenForo forums. By integrating X-Sendfile or X-Accel-Redirect, you offload image delivery to the web server, saving RAM and CPU while improving user experience.
This setup is highly recommended for busy forums with heavy image usage.
Results:
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