Apache 2.4: mod_php vs php-fpm performance

Here are some possibilities for this:

1. You have enabled some kind of opcode cache with mod_php
2. You have turned on mod_cache in apache
3. You are using TCP connection method in php-fpm.

Post back with these details.

Also, try apache + mod_fastcgi + apc + php-fpm.

And, if you are using the if condition in nginx for rewrite rules, switch to try_files instead. if sometimes has performance issues.

When you say no other variable changes, do you mean you're using the same httpd.conf values as prefork? If so, yes, that would explain your results.

You need to set MaxRequestsPerChild and MaxConnectionsPerChild differently.

MaxRequestsPerChild has been renamed to MaxConnectionsPerChild, describes more accurately what it does. The old name is still supported.

MaxClients has been renamed to MaxRequestWorkers, which describes more accurately what it does. For async MPMs, like event, the maximum number of clients is not equivalent than the number of worker threads. The old name is still supported.

see: http://httpd.apache.org/docs/2.4/mod/mpm_common.html