Magento 2 Extension Bloat: How to Identify and Remove Modules That Hurt Performance

Every Magento 2 project collects modules over time - some outdated, some unused, and some harmful to performance. Excessive extensions increase load time, risk conflicts, and complicate maintenance. In this guide, we cover how to audit your stack using mage-scan.com and how to safely remove modules, especially when preparing for a Hyvä migration.

1. Why Extension Bloat Hurts Magento 2

Each module in Magento 2 adds code to be executed during requests - whether or not it’s actively used. This can mean:

• Extra database queries and observers firing on every page load
• Additional layout XML processing and block rendering
• Unnecessary CSS/JS payloads that degrade Core Web Vitals
• Increased deployment size and longer compile times

In Hyvä projects, bloat is even more noticeable - its lean architecture means every unoptimized extension stands out in profiling.

2. Auditing Extensions with mage-scan.com

The quickest way to identify unused or harmful modules is to scan your store. With mage-scan.com, you can:

• List all installed Magento 2 modules and their status
• Flag outdated or unmaintained extensions
• Highlight modules injecting large JS/CSS assets
• Detect potential conflicts and override collisions

This gives developers a data-backed starting point before removing or replacing modules.

3. Deciding What to Remove

Not all modules flagged in an audit need removal. Consider:

• Usage frequency - If a feature is rarely used, is it worth the performance cost?
• Hyvä compatibility - Does it inject legacy KnockoutJS, RequireJS, or Luma templates?
• Maintenance - Is the vendor providing updates and security fixes?
• Overlap - Do multiple modules solve the same problem?

Many stores carry legacy extensions from past requirements that no longer align with current architecture.

4. Safely Disabling & Removing Modules

Magento allows disabling modules via CLI:

bin/magento module:disable Vendor_ModuleName
bin/magento setup:upgrade
bin/magento cache:flush

Test in a staging environment first - removing modules can break dependencies. After disabling, run full regression tests to ensure no critical functionality is lost. Where a feature is essential, replace it with a qoliber Hyvä-compatible extensions that follow clean coding and performance-first principles.

5. Preparing for a Hyvä Migration

Hyvä’s lean frontend won’t tolerate legacy extension patterns. Before migrating:

• Remove modules that inject RequireJS, KnockoutJS, or heavy Luma templates
• Replace feature-critical extensions with Hyvä-optimized equivalents
• Ensure SEO modules are Hyvä- and ElasticSuite-compatible

The goal is a lightweight, maintainable module set - exactly what qoliber extensions are designed for.

6. Continuous Monitoring

Performance isn’t a one-time fix - extension bloat creeps back in as new features are added. Schedule regular mage-scan.com audits, review code contributions, and keep your extension set minimal. The smaller the footprint, the faster the store and the easier the maintenance.

Conclusion

Extension bloat is one of the most common Magento 2 performance killers. By auditing your stack with mage-scan.com, removing unused modules, and replacing legacy code with Hyvä-compatible qoliber extensions, developers can build a faster, cleaner, and more stable Magento 2 store. In Hyvä projects, this discipline isn’t optional - it’s essential.