[wp-trac] [WordPress Trac] #61234: Investigation Request: High Frequency of `hooked_block_types` Filter Calls

[WordPress Trac]

#61234: Investigation Request: High Frequency of `hooked_block_types` Filter Calls
--------------------------+-----------------------------
 Reporter:  mreishus      |      Owner:  (none)
     Type:  defect (bug)  |     Status:  new
 Priority:  normal        |  Milestone:  Awaiting Review
Component:  General       |    Version:  6.5.3
 Severity:  normal        |   Keywords:
  Focuses:                |
--------------------------+-----------------------------
 I have identified a potential performance concern related to the
 `hooked_block_types` filter in WordPress 6.5.3, particularly regarding its
 scalability when a site has a large number of blocks and custom patterns.

 === Steps to Reproduce: ===
 1. **Environment Setup:**
    - Installed a completely blank WordPress.org 6.5.3 site using the
 default Twenty Twenty-Four theme.

 2. **Customization:**
    - Installed and activated a custom plugin to count the number of times
 the `hooked_block_types` filter is applied. The plugin code is as follows:

 {{{#!php
 <?php
 /*
 Plugin Name: Hooked Block Types Counter
 Description: A simple plugin to count how many times the
 'hooked_block_types' filter is applied.
 Version: 1.0
 Author: Your Name
 */

 function init_hooked_block_types_counter() {
     $GLOBALS['hooked_block_types_count'] = 0;
 }
 add_action('init', 'init_hooked_block_types_counter');

 function increment_hooked_block_types_count($hooked_block_types,
 $relative_position, $anchor_block_type, $context) {
     $GLOBALS['hooked_block_types_count']++;
     return $hooked_block_types; // Returning the original list without
 modification
 }
 add_filter('hooked_block_types', 'increment_hooked_block_types_count', 10,
 4);

 function log_hooked_block_types_count() {
     $count = $GLOBALS['hooked_block_types_count'];
     error_log("The 'hooked_block_types' filter was run $count times.");
 }
 add_action('shutdown', 'log_hooked_block_types_count');
 ?>
 }}}




 3. **Initial Observation:**
    - Visiting the front page with the default Twenty Twenty-Four theme and
 no additional content shows:
      {{{
      [16-May-2024 22:03:09 UTC] The 'hooked_block_types' filter was run
 526 times.
      }}}

 4. **Adding Content:**
    - Using the Site Editor, edited the `Index` template by adding a
 Columns block, with a few Paragraph blocks in each column.
    - After saving the changes and visiting the home page again, it showed:
      {{{
      [16-May-2024 22:09:02 UTC] The 'hooked_block_types' filter was run
 590 times.
      }}}

 === Concerns: ===
 - While the out-of-the-box performance might be acceptable, the issue
 scales significantly with added content.
 - On a site with extensive custom patterns, I observed the filter being
 applied approximately 9,800 times.
 - This scalability concern implies that functions hooked to
 `hooked_block_types` could potentially run thousands of times, which can
 have significant performance implications.
 - For example, Jetpack’s `sharing-button.php` hooks into this filter and
 runs the following check: `( new Modules() )->is_active( 'sharedaddy' )`.
 Running such a check 10,000 times seems inefficient and could lead to
 performance bottlenecks. Authors writing code on this hook might be
 unaware it could be run thousands of times.

 === Reference: ===
 Jetpack’s sharing-button.php:
 https://github.com/Automattic/jetpack/blob/3631fb251d8734d656d818ed3c52cf71a2be204c/projects/plugins/jetpack/extensions/blocks
 /sharing-button/sharing-button.php#L224

 === Request: ===
 - Investigate why the `hooked_block_types` filter is being applied so many
 times.
 - Consider optimizing the filter application to reduce redundancy and
 improve performance.
 - Provide guidelines or best practices for plugin authors to avoid
 performance issues when hooking into `hooked_block_types`.

 Thank you for looking into this matter. I believe addressing this will
 help improve the performance and scalability of WordPress sites,
 especially those with complex block structures and custom patterns.

-- 
Ticket URL: <https://core.trac.wordpress.org/ticket/61234>
WordPress Trac <https://core.trac.wordpress.org/>
WordPress publishing platform