NGINX + HHVM + CI

Response time from the server I have set up is fast enough that I really notice minor optimizations in my SQL code.

While I don't intend to discourage the use of Nginx or HHVM by people who wish to use them, I would like to point out that this should be the case regardless of your choice of server environment. If not, there's something severely wrong with either the host or the codebase. Data access and remote calls should be the slowest parts of a website, with very few exceptions.

Bonfire

Practical CodeIgniter 3
CodeIgniter Testing Guide