Front-end performance: Building faster websites

Workshop abstract

Every case-study, every report, and every bit of feedback always tells us the same thing: speed matters. It is good for users, it is good for accessibility, and it is good for business. But why are modern browsing experiences so slow? If technology is getting better, why are websites getting worse?

In this workshop, you will take an in-depth look at:

• how the network really works, and how to design around it;
• how to keep websites fast whilst keeping clients and stakeholders happy;
• how to optimise your assets for faster delivery;
• how to trick the browser into delivering assets with different priorities;
• how to measure and profile performance wins and losses;
• a whole host of tips, tricks, and techniques to help you deliver the same experiences in record times;
• a bunch of fascinating little factoids and trivia which help shine a light on what’s really going on under the hood;
• how to prepare for the Web (and its users) of tomorrow;
• lots of naughty little micro-optimisations, just for fun;
• and a lot, lot more.

This workshop is targeted at intermediate to advanced front-end developers, web designers, and software engineers, or anybody who writes code. There will be resources and case studies for you to take back to non-technical stakeholders to help convince them of the power of performance.

Workshop level

Introductory

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Software requirements and repository

Files necessary to run the workshop can be cloned from Harry's github repository (branch gh-pages).

Recommended software:

• Up to date Chrome
• Network Link Conditioner if on Mac
• WinShaper if on Windows
• Netem or Charles Proxy if on Linux

Chrome, netem and Charles Proxy will be provided on the VirtualBox appliance distributed to all participants.