Run automated performance workflows using production environment vars

[joemcgill]

The automated performance tests that run as part of ​this workflow use the Docker environment bundled in the Core repo to set up an environment for testing. However, this environment gets configured using the included .env configuration file, which is meant for setting up an environment for WordPress core development, not production, including setting environment variables like WP_DEBUG and SCRIPT_DEBUG to true, and WP_DEVELOPMENT_MODE to core, all of which can cause side effects that skew performance results.

To get a better picture of how changes are effecting WP performance in standard production configurations, the Docker environment should be configured with the following environment variables (at minimum):

• WP_DEBUG === false
• SCRIPT_DEBUG === false
• WP_DEVELOPMENT_MODE === ''

Update performance.yml for running automated performance workflows using production environment vars.

Trac ticket: https://core.trac.wordpress.org/ticket/58825

[desrosj]

I added some feedback on the PR. While this can be committed during RC, I'm leaning towards just punting and backporting when it's landed. Going to leave for a few more days.

Hi @desrosj, I tried to implement your suggestion. Let me know if I missed something.

[joemcgill]

Replying to desrosj:

While this can be committed during RC, I'm leaning towards just punting and backporting when it's landed. Going to leave for a few more days.

Let's go ahead and make a clean change as part of the 6.4 release branch. Not sure there is much value in backporting at this point.

Hi @joemcgill, I tried to implement your suggestion. Can you take a look now?

[joemcgill]

@desrosj the updates to ​the PR look good to me now, but would appreciate your thoughts about this, and whether we should consider applying this to the 6.3 branch as well.

[mukesh27]

@joemcgill Per ​Benchmarking PHP performance with Server-Timing document.

(Optional, but recommended) Disable any debugging features of WordPress, e.g. set constants like WP_DEBUG, SCRIPT_DEBUG, SAVEQUERIES, to false.

Could we add SAVEQUERIES to false also?

[rajinsharwar]

Hi @desrosj @joemcgill, added the SAVEQUERIES as per the suggestion of @mukesh27.

[joemcgill]

In 56313:

Build/Test Tools: Run performance tests using production env vars.

This sets the following environment variables when running automated performance tests to avoid side effects that can skew performance data when the default development environment variables are used:

• SAVEQUERIES: false
• SCRIPT_DEBUG: false
• WP_DEBUG: false
• WP_DEVELOPMENT_MODE: ''

Props rajinsharwar, desrosj, mukesh27, joemcgill.
Fixes #58825.

Merged in https://core.trac.wordpress.org/changeset/56313. Thanks again @Rajinsharwar!