ChronoSplit DB

When WordPress sites grow beyond 500,000 posts, the wp_postmeta table often becomes the primary bottleneck. Standard indexing isn't enough when the table size exceeds the server's RAM.

ChronoSplit is a custom engineered solution that brings MySQL Horizontal Partitioning to the WordPress dashboard. It physically splits the database storage into yearly "buckets" without breaking the WordPress application layer.

🚀 Key Engineering Features

1. MySQL Range Partitioning

Instead of standard tables, the plugin alters the storage engine to use PARTITION BY RANGE.

• Logic: Maps Post ID ranges to specific years.
• Benefit: MySQL "Pruning". If you query a post from 2024, the database engine completely ignores the partition files from 2023, 2022, etc. drastically reducing I/O operations.

2. Memory-Safe "Chunked" Backups

Standard backup plugins often crash on massive tables due to PHP memory_limit exhaustion.

• Solution: I implemented a streaming backup system that reads 5,000 rows at a time, writes them to a file stream, and flushes the buffer.
• Result: Can backup multi-gigabyte tables on servers with only 128MB RAM.

3. The p_ahead Logic

To ensure the site never crashes when a new year starts:

• The plugin automatically calculates the last known Post ID.
• It creates a "Catch-All" partition (p_ahead) defined as VALUES LESS THAN MAXVALUE.
• Future logic allows moving data from p_ahead to a named partition (e.g., p_2026) seamlessly.

🛠 Tech Stack

• Language: PHP 7.4+
• Database: MySQL 5.7+ / MariaDB
• API: WordPress Database API ($wpdb)
• Core Concepts: Table Alteration, Stream Processing, File I/O, Data Sanitization.

📚 Documentation

Overview

ChronoSplit is a utility for high-scale WordPress environments. It supports partitioning both wp_posts and wp_postmeta.

Prerequisite

• Backup: You must use the built-in backup tab or a server-level backup tool before applying partitions.
• Storage Engine: Your tables must use InnoDB (standard in modern WP).

Installation

1. Download the plugin zip file.
2. Upload to /wp-content/plugins/.
3. Activate via the WordPress Admin Dashboard.
4. Navigate to Tools > ChronoSplit DB.

Usage Guide

Step 1: Create a Backup

Navigate to the Backup tab.

This is a mandatory step.

1. Select the target table (wp_postmeta or wp_posts).
2. Click Create Backup.
3. The system will generate a .sql file in your uploads directory.
4. Note: You can download these files for off-site storage or delete them to save space.

Step 2: Apply Partitions

Navigate to the Partition Tables tab.

1. The system will scan your wp_posts table to detect all active years.
2. Review the proposed partitions (e.g., p_2023, p_2024, p_ahead).
3. Select which tables to partition:
   • wp_postmeta: Highly Recommended. Contains the heaviest metadata.
   • wp_posts: Optional. Recommended for sites with >1M posts.
4. Confirm the safety check and click Apply Partitions.

Step 3: Maintenance (Yearly)

When a new year starts (e.g., Jan 1st, 2026):

1. Return to the plugin.
2. Click Update Partitions.
3. The plugin will automatically detect that 2025 has ended, move the data from p_ahead into a new p_2025 partition, and reset p_ahead for 2026.

Safety & Recovery

The Revert Function

If you wish to move your site to a host that does not support partitioning, or if you simply want to return to standard WordPress:

1. Go to the Revert / Undo tab.
2. Select the tables to revert.
3. Click Merge & Restore Defaults.
4. Result: Partitions are removed, data is merged back into a single .ibd file, and the Primary Key is reset to standard WordPress defaults (meta_id).

Category Partitioning Limitation

Users often ask to partition by Category. This is not possible with standard MySQL Partitioning because the category_id does not exist inside the wp_postmeta table. ChronoSplit uses Post ID Ranges which ensures 100% data integrity and strict chronological syncing between posts and metadata.