How do I remove unneeded files from WordPress and Magento installations to stay below a limit on the number of files from my web host?

Question

Using GoDaddy Ultimate Linux Plan, under which these are the features:

Plan details: - Ultimate Hosting - 2 CPU - 1,024 MB RAM - 250,000 files - 140 entry processes

Till now, there are 7 WordPress applications installed.

1. 5.1.1 version, 213.7MB files, 4.9MB database, 0 backups.
2. 5.1.1 version, 303.6MB files, 2.3MB database, 0 backups.
3. 5.1.1 version, 2419.2MB files, 25.3MB database, 1 backups.
4. 5.1.1 version, 277.3MB files, 1.6MB database, 0 backups.
5. 5.1.1 version, 181.5MB files, 2.2MB database, 0 backups.
6. 5.1.1 version, 212MB files, 4.8MB database, 0 backups.
7. 5.1.1 version, 212MB files, 4.8MB database, 0 backups.

cPanel is showing:

File Usage 248,160 / 250,000 (99.26%)

So with 7 WordPress applications of the above specifications, is it possible to have 248,160 files? If not, how do I ensure that unnecessary files are removed.

The spike in the number of files perhaps occurred immediately after I tried to install Magento under one of the WordPress application directory, which was unsuccessful. When I called GoDaddy customer care, they tried to install Magento from their side and later told that Magento is not installed because perhaps of the number of allowed files (2,50,000) being crossed and so asked me to remove unwanted files from my side.

Answer 1

Unfortunately you have likely hit an inode limit https://au.godaddy.com/help/resource-limits-12001. Godaddy are pretty inflexible with this and lost me as a customer over it many years ago.

If you go into cpanel and then the disk usage item, it will show you what directory sizes are, you can drill down to each directory and see the total file sizes being used.

You might find that mail is taking up a bunch of space, if so consider moving mail to a 3rd party e.g. gmail or outlook. Perhaps you are storing backups.

I think you will find there aren't many core WordPress files that you will be able to remove. Not enough to make a difference to your inode count.

That's about the best you are going to be able to do without SSH access and I am pretty certain godaddy don't give that.

Of course, you could always change host ;o)

Answer 2

If all of the sites are similar in nature you could try a multisite install instead if not if maybe a different host or even upgrade from using a shared host to a vps gives you much more control and less limitation but the technical requirements are greater.