URL Alias Optimization

Drupal 6.0 implements a new feature to enhance site-performance: a whitelist/blacklist for URL alias lookups. Database queries to find url aliases created by the path module are among the most frequent in many Drupal installations. The performance setting allows administrators to either define paths which will no be looked up (blacklist), or paths which will (whitelist).

Similar to the block visibility settings, you can use the * wildcard to define ranges of URLs.

The blacklist comes with a set of useful default urls. For many sites, enabling the blacklist will reduce the number of overall queries to the database without degrading any functionality. However, if you make extensive use of URL aliases, you should think about what settings work best for you. If you have a small number of aliases, setting them up as a whitelist may be even better.