For testing websites that are intended for use in the fields, I often wanted to make your http://localhost feel like on a modem connection. The easiest solution I found is the the Apache module mod_bw.

This is a short setup guide for Ubuntu Webdevelopers that care about their users or everybody who want’s to get an idea about how Internet in large parts of the world feels 🙂

Setup on Ubuntu

1. Install the module using for example using aptitude install libapache2-mod-bw
2. Activate the module: a2enmod bw
3. Insert the following configuration to your virtual host:
   BandWidthModule On
ForceBandWidthModule On
BandWidth all 1024
4. Restart Apache
5. If not done already, you might should also install also the Webdeveloper plugin for
   Firefox and choose Web Developer -> Disable -> Disable Cache

Now browsing on http://localhost will be at 1kbyte per second.

Optimize your Website

• Using mod_gzip to compress data
• Minify CSS, Javascript and optimize Pictures

Additional tipps can be found in Yahoo’s Best Practices for Speeding Up Your Web Site.

For testing websites that are intended for use in the fields, I often wanted to make your http://localhost feel like on a modem connection. The easiest solution I found is...