Web Application Performance
Web applications are computer programs that are created using various web technologies like HTML (Hypertext Markup Language), CSS (Cascading Style Sheets), JS (JavaScript), PHP (Hypertext Preprocessor), etc., and can be accessed by means of various web browsers. These web applications help us to do various tasks like online shopping, bank payments, booking hotels, and so on. They provide a plethora of services and hence millions of businesses use web applications. In addition to the traditional web technologies, there are other web technologies like frameworks and content management systems and so, there are several varieties of web technologies available. Every website offers different functionalities and makes use of different web technologies according to the service that a company wants to provide. Therefore, a website comprises of a lot of components. It is essential that every website functions at its optimum level and no issues occur in the website’s performance. In the next section, various methods to improve website performance are discussed.
Techniques to improve web application performance
Some of the ways in which website performance can be improved are as follows:-
1) Reducing image size
Images play a major role in the look of every website. The only problem is that some of these images are large in size and so it takes some time for the website to load. To address this issue, we can reduce the image size without compromising the image quality by making use of image compression tools like ImageOptim, JPEGmini, Squoosh, etc. The best part is that all of these tools are available online and they are easy to use.
2) Using a Content Delivery Network (CDN)
A content delivery network is a network of web servers that are spread across several geographical locations. These servers provide web content to a user based on their current location. Thereby, web content is provided to the intended user by means of a server that is located closest to the user. So, the web content loads quicker which aids in website load optimisation.
3) Website caching
A situation in which a lot of users are accessing the same website can lead to the server working slowly and it will take some time for it to load the web contents to each user. Caching is a process wherein the current version of the website is loaded into the web browser until the complete web page is updated. So, the user does not have to load the web page again and again. This process helps in load optimisation as the traffic on the main server is reduced significantly.
4) Reduce the number of HTTP requests
Every time you search something online, your browser makes HTTP (Hypertext Transfer Protocol) requests to a particular server. More the number of requests made to a server, more time it takes to serve you with the requested web content. So, it is very important that we do not generate unnecessary HTTP requests because this will impact the loading time by making it slow. Few ways of reducing HTTP requests are avoiding third-party frameworks, using less code and reducing the number of plugins used by a website.
5) Minimise web application code
This point is in conjunction with the previous point. The more code your web application possesses, the more HTTP requests are made to the server. As a result, it takes time for your web pages to load. Use only necessary JavaScript (JS) and Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) files. Also, bundle all your JS code into one file and all your CSS code into another file. Using all JS and CSS code in an inline format will tend to send more HTTP requests and it will take a lot of time for your website to load as well. Another technique is to compress all your JS and CSS code by means of tools like JavaScript Minifier, WillPeavy, and grunt.
6) Better hosting plan
Every website must be hosted on a server so that it becomes accessible to everyone. Hosting is categorised into the following types:
· Shared hosting
One of the most utilised types of hosting is shared hosting. This is because it is the cheapest option amongst the remaining hosting types. In shared hosting, you must share the CPU, RAM, and disk space with other websites that use the same server. This is the reason why it is the slowest in performance compared to the other types.
· Virtual Private Servers (VPS) hosting
VPS uses many servers for the distribution of web content. In VPS, you share the server with other users, but your server configurations don’t impact the other users. VPS will be the optimal solution for you if you have a website with average traffic or an E-commerce site with periodical traffic spikes.
· Dedicated hosting
In dedicated hosting, you pay an amount for the server rent and employ a system administrator to maintain it. This option is expensive because you get to have your own dedicated server. This means that you have all the resources to yourself and have full control over it.
You can also rent dedicated cloud resources from any public cloud providers like Google Cloud Platform, Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Azure, etc. Cloud infrastructures can provide unlimited and on-demand scalability under different plans.
Web applications play a vital role in the smooth functioning of every business. It is necessary that websites are accessible 24x7 and can provide all the essential services as per customer requirements. We must enhance the performance of our web applications by taking the aforementioned steps, so that our website functions without any hassle. By complying with this, we ensure customer satisfaction and business growth.
