Following the transfer of the database that runs this site from MySQL to PostgreSQL at the beginning of February 2026, I have finally finished all the query tweaks to make it run as smoothly as possible.  The tests all suggest that queries now run significantly faster, up to 48% faster on some of the more challenging ones.  So I hope that all visitors will feel that benefit.

Server Location

I have also switched servers away from my usual provider, Hetzner in Germany, to OVH in the UK, largely due to well-reported struggles they have been having in relation to capacity issues, slow object storage and a couple of other reasons.  It's a shame, I really liked them, but they are currently a victim of their own success rather than being a poor provider.

Right now, the site is on a server in the UK, which helps UK-based visitors, that is the majority of where visitors come from.

Remaining issues

I say issues, but there is only really one ongoing issue I am not able to solve.  When searching for a property using the postcode search and then selecting a property, the page that shows specific property details can be a little slow.  This has nothing to do with the site directly.  It's caused by the map at the top of the page; it comes from a 3rd party provider, Leaflet maps.  So when the page loads, it needs to go to that 3rd party provider, get information and send it back. This causes the delay as it depends on how quickly that 3rd party responds, then leading to a potential delay in the page loading.

I could remove the map and solve it immediately.  But I think it adds value to the page for visitors.  Will continue to monitor that.

Next on the to-do list?

Now that everything is stable again, I will be turning my attention to improving the data insights.  With more tools available from PostgreSQL, I can be more creative and efficient.