Client's Testimonial

The Developers.dev team did what we thought was impossible. They took our slow, unstable Moodle instance and turned it into a high-performance platform that we can finally trust. The upgrade process was seamless, and their ongoing support has been phenomenal. They are true Moodle whisperers.

Dr. Michael Thompson, Director of Academic Technology

Client Introduction

A prominent US public university with over 40,000 students and 5,000 faculty members. Their aging, heavily-customized Moodle platform had become the bane of the IT department and a source of constant frustration for students, especially with frequent crashes during high-stakes online exams.

Problem

The university's Moodle platform was critically unstable. It suffered from slow page load times (averaging 8-10 seconds), database deadlocks, and system-wide crashes during peak usage periods like mid-terms and finals. The system was also several versions behind, posing a significant security risk.

Key Challenges

Extreme Performance Bottlenecks

The system could not handle more than 1,500 concurrent users without severe degradation.

Complex Legacy Code

The platform had dozens of old, poorly written custom plugins that were causing conflicts and performance issues.

Zero-Downtime Requirement

Any upgrade or major change had to be done with minimal disruption to the academic calendar.

Data Integrity

Preserving over a decade of course data, student submissions, and grades was paramount.

Our Solution

We executed a multi-phased "Legacy App Rescue" project focused on stabilization, optimization, and modernization.

Comprehensive Performance Audit

We used profiling tools like New Relic and custom scripts to conduct a deep-dive audit of the code, database, and server configuration to pinpoint the exact bottlenecks.

Code Refactoring & Plugin Remediation

We systematically refactored the worst-performing custom plugins, optimized database queries, and replaced outdated code with modern, efficient equivalents.

Infrastructure Overhaul

We migrated their on-premise servers to a load-balanced, auto-scaling AWS environment, implementing a robust caching layer with Redis.

Staged, Seamless Upgrade

We created a staging environment that was a perfect replica of production. We performed the multi-version Moodle upgrade on the staging server first, allowing for extensive testing by a pilot group of faculty before a final, low-impact switchover.

Implementation and Execution

Initial Assessment

Our team spent the first week in a read-only analysis phase, identifying critical issues without touching the live system.

Prioritized Fixes

We first deployed "quick win" fixes to the live server (like database indexing) to provide immediate stability relief.

Staging Environment Build

We built a parallel, fully-functional staging environment on AWS.

Iterative Refactoring

Over six weeks, we worked on the staging server, fixing one plugin at a time and running regression tests.

Pilot Testing

A group of 200 faculty and students used the upgraded staging server for non-critical courses for a full month to identify any issues.

The "Flip"

The final cutover was scheduled during a low-traffic maintenance window, taking less than 30 minutes of actual downtime to switch DNS to the new, optimized environment.

Positive Outcome

400% Performance Improvement

Average page load times dropped from 8 seconds to under 2 seconds. The platform now handles over 10,000 concurrent users without issue.

Zero Exam-Time Crashes

The university completed its first full semester post-engagement with zero platform-related downtime during exams.

Enhanced Security

The platform is now on the latest, fully-patched version of Moodle, closing numerous security vulnerabilities.

Reduced IT Burden

The university's internal IT helpdesk saw a 70% reduction in Moodle-related support tickets, freeing them to work on other initiatives.

Why Choose Us

Deep Diagnostic Skill

Our ability to audit and pinpoint core issues was key.

Legacy Code Experts

We weren't scared off by a messy, complex codebase.

Cloud & DevOps Mastery

Our AWS and performance tuning expertise was critical to the solution.

Meticulous Process

Our phased approach de-risked a very dangerous migration.

Higher Education Experience

We understood the academic calendar and the stakes of online exams.

Transparent Communication

The IT Director was kept informed with daily status updates.

Problem Solvers

We didn't just offer to rebuild; we offered to rescue and improve their existing investment.

Guaranteed Outcome

We committed to specific performance metrics and delivered on them.

Ongoing Partnership

We now provide ongoing managed services and support, ensuring the platform remains healthy.

Conclusion

This project demonstrates that even a severely degraded Moodle instance can be rescued and transformed into a high-performing asset. By combining deep Moodle expertise with modern DevOps and cloud practices, Developers.dev saved the university from a costly and disruptive full rebuild, restoring faith in their mission-critical learning platform.

Rescuing a University's Mission-Critical Moodle: A 4X Performance Gain and Zero-Downtime Upgrade

Industry Higher Education