The power of CSS optimization: Benefits of using multiple files instead of just one

Is it true that fewer HTTP requests result in better performance?

According to Google's best practice guidelines, reducing the number of unused CSS rules also improves performance.

  • The browser's CSS engine must assess each rule in the file to determine if it applies to the current page.
  • Even when a stylesheet is cached in an external file, rendering is delayed until the browser fetches the stylesheet from disk.

Which approach do you believe yields better performance:

  • Using one CSS file per page.
  • Utilizing a single general CSS file that can be cached (even with over 70% unused CSS, but eliminating additional HTTP requests).

Google speed best-practice

csscachingoptimizationhttprequest

Answer №1

One key takeaway from the Google best practice document is the importance of considering how external CSS files are utilized on websites. It is common for many sites to use the same CSS file across all pages, even when not all rules within apply to each page.

This can result in unnecessary code being loaded and evaluated, impacting both load times and bandwidth utilization. Using multiple CSS files for individual pages, such as separate files for headers and footers, should be avoided.

Ultimately, there is no one-size-fits-all solution. The decision to use multiple files or a single file should be based on the specific structure and needs of your website.

Answer №2

When it comes to loading CSS, the process is typically very quick. It's rare to experience CSS blocking, unlike JavaScript which can visually indicate that it's being downloaded (causing white spaces during page rendering). In truth, having just one CSS file is sufficient, as it only requires a single HTTP request. Optimizing for speed should focus on JavaScript, as this is where slow-downs in page loading are most noticeable. The difference may only be a second or two.

If you want to check load times for your website, you can use this site. It provides a comparison of CSS load times in the graph below.

Similar questions

If you have not found the answer to your question or you are interested in this topic, then look at other similar questions below or use the search

The default padding and margin in Bootstrap are making the images protrude beyond the edges of the container

I have an issue where my images are stretching into the padding or margin that bootstrap uses to separate columns. I want to maintain the column division but avoid having the images stretch. While I have managed to shrink the image using padding, the white ...

htmlcsstwitter-bootstrap

Having difficulty toggling a <div> element with jQuery

I am attempting to implement a button that toggles the visibility of a div containing replies to comments. My goal is to have the ability to hide and display the replies by clicking the button. The "show all replies" button should only appear if there are ...

javascriptjqueryhtmlcss

Ways to eliminate the vertical scroll feature in a kendo chart

I am encountering an issue while loading a kendo chart inside grid-stack.js where I am unable to resize the height properly. Whenever I decrease the height, a vertical scroll appears which should not happen. I have tried setting the height to auto and refr ...

javascriptjquerycsskendo-chartgridstack

Ruby on Rails slider bar functionality

Currently, I am developing a video-focused application using Ruby 1.9.2 and Rails 3.1. One of the key features I need to implement is a slider bar that allows users to adjust the total duration of a video in real-time. Despite my attempts to use HTML5 fo ...

javascripthtmlruby-on-railscssslider

What is the method for customizing the NavBar color using CSS?

Hi there! I recently came across a responsive multi-level menu that caught my eye. After copying the CSS and JavaScript exactly, I ended up with this NavBar. The issue I'm facing is changing the default color (which is green) to another color. Here&ap ...

jqueryhtmlcss

ways to halt a noise once an animation is complete

I don't have much experience with coding in general, but somehow I've made it this far. Now I'm stuck on the final piece of the puzzle. This is related to a Twitch alert that I'm setting up through 'Stream Elements'. The iss ...

javascripthtmljquerycsshtml5-video

Tips for changing the text color to stand out from the color of the input field

My input field undergoes color changes depending on whether it's in dark mode or light mode. However, I'm struggling to maintain a distinct color for the input field border and text. The client prefers a very light border for the input field but ...

cssreactjs

apply white-space:nowrap to a single column in a datatable

I am facing a challenge with my bootstrap datatable where one row (Product) contains a large amount of data and currently expands downwards, taking up a lot of space. https://i.sstatic.net/BryzM.png My goal is to make the Product column expand to the rig ...

javascripthtmlcssbootstrap-4datatable

What is the best way to align two bootstrap buttons next to each other?

Is there a way to align buttons on a modal side by side? One button is a download link and the other a mirror link. I attempted to use a custom class with CSS property "display: inline-block;" but it did not work as expected. Any suggestions on how to achi ...

javascriptjqueryhtmlcsstwitter-bootstrap

Trouble with buttons in table cells

There is a problem with a button placed in a table cell that spans two rows and does not fill the second row. How can I ensure that this button fills both rows? I have attempted to adjust the height in the button's style as well as in the table cell i ...

htmlcssbuttonhtml-table

The alignment of the text next to the icons is not correct

Is it necessary to use flexbox, or is there an easier way to achieve the same result? It has been a while since I last practiced and I can't seem to remember much. .sadaka-contacts p { color: #115c9b ...

htmlcssflexboxcss-grid

Guide on activating javascript code for form validation using php

How can I activate JavaScript code for form validation? I am currently implementing form validation on a combined login/register form where the login form is initially displayed and the register form becomes visible when a user clicks a button, triggering ...

javascriptphphtmlcss

Is there a way to change an element's display to 'block'? (see more information below)

I'm having an issue with my event listener for a button that is supposed to change the css of #popUpForm. It seems to only work when I add inline css directly to #popUpForm. Is there a way to achieve this without using inline css and instead setting t ...

javascripthtmlcssdomwebpack

Rowing and Columning with Bootstrap

Hey there! I'm currently working on creating some stylish boxes to showcase text and possibly an image background. However, I'm encountering an issue where the boxes are not aligning correctly on smaller screens. https://i.sstatic.net/JoYtj.jpg ...

htmlcss

Enhancing dynamically generated elements with CSS styling

I have been working on developing my own jQuery Gallery Plugin. The crucial initial markup that is required to initialize the plugin includes: Initial HTML <div class="riGallery"> <ul> <li><a href="http://www.example.com" ...

jquerycssdynamicplugins

Error retrieving resource: server returned a 404 status code indicating file not found for javaScript and CSS files

I can't seem to get my css and js files to load on the server. Here is how my file structure looks like: GAME_Folder https://i.sstatic.net/wzfB3.png HTML doctype html head link(href='https://fonts.googleapis.com/css2?family=Press+Start+2P& ...

javascripthtmljquerycssnode.js

Each time a nested collapse occurs, it triggers its parent collapse

I have come across some similar answers, but they all pertain to accordions, which I am not utilizing in this case. In my code, I have nested collapse items. You can view the code snippet here on CodePen $('#collapseOutter').on('show.bs. ...

jqueryhtmlcsstwitter-bootstrapbootstrap-4

SwiperJS continuously applies additional right margin to every slide

My Swiper carousel seems to be adding an unnecessary 5px margin-right to each slide, resulting in the cards not fitting into one frame. https://i.sstatic.net/fwn5G.png I attempted to fix this by setting the margin-right to 0px for the .swiper-slide class ...

cssreactjssassswiper.js

Tips for creating a dashed border line that animates in a clockwise direction when hovering

I currently have a dashed border around my div element: .dash_border{ border: dashed; stroke: 2px; margin:20px; } My goal is to make the dashed lines move clockwise when my pointer hovers over the div element and stop moving ...

javascriptjqueryhtmlcss

Customizing event colors in Full Calendar

My interactive calendar is created using : $('#calendar').fullCalendar({ height: 300, //............. events: jsonData, month: firstMonth }) I am looking to dynamically change the color of an event based on certain conditions ...

javascriptjquerycsscalendarfullcalendar