This article provides best practices for product attribute options in Magento. Our recommendation is to have not more than 100 attribute options per product, as performance can be affected.
A large number of product options leads to an increase in data retrieved for each product on all read and write operations resulting in:
- Increase in SQL queries traffic and heavier
JOINoperations affecting database throughput - Increase of Magento indexes size and full-text search index
Potential site impacts can include:
- Long request time and rendering times on product details and category pages containing complex products.
- Admin product save operations response time increases above optimal performance targets.
- Increase in Product Edit form rendering time.
- Slow checkout.
Affected products and versions
- Magento Commerce, all supported versions
- Magento Commerce Cloud, all supported versions
Best practices
Reduce the number of product attribute options by:
- Leveraging different variation mechanisms: complex products, custom options as a source of product variations.
- Building specific product templates with targeting attributes and options, avoiding generalized product templates and option containers.
- Maintaining a list of actual attribute options.
- Managing products info through external Product Management System (PMS).
Related reading
Refer to:
- Magento User Guide Create products > Configurable Product
- Magento User Guide Product Attributes > Best Practices
- Best practice for attribute SET in Magento
- Best practice Magento product attributes