Which is Better: Data-URIs or Embedding Fonts for Icons?

Currently, I am in possession of a set of approximately 10 monotone icons all sized at 25x25 or smaller. I am contemplating between two options for better performance:

1) Incorporating them into CSS using data URIs

2) Utilizing them as a font (for example through IcoMoon)

Using them as a font may appear less advantageous because it involves an additional http: call, unless I... 2b) Decide to embed the font files themselves.

For the past month, I have been utilizing IcoMoon for this project, but I find it somewhat cumbersome when I need to modify the SVGs and re-upload them to the application. Not to mention, working with fonts in CSS can lead to a messy codebase when compared to images. Perhaps going with base64 encoding for the SVGs could simplify the process.

Given these considerations, what do you think would be the most optimal approach? Are there any other alternatives I should explore? My main focus is on optimizing for Webkit, Mozilla, and IE8+.

cssiconsembedded-fontsdata-uri

Answer №1

It truly depends.

From what I've observed, data URIs may perform slower on mobile devices, but embedding icons less than 1KB in size could result in better performance. The impact also varies based on how frequently the images are utilized on a single page — data URIs seem to require decompression each time they are used, potentially affecting performance if used multiple times per page.

Interestingly, there seems to be a lack of comparison between data URIs and @font-face icon fonts in terms of mobile performance. It would be beneficial to conduct some real-world RUM testing and share the results. Additionally, exploring the inclusion of an icon font in CSS as a Base64-encoded data URI could provide valuable insights.

Furthermore, there are various Grunt plugins available that can streamline the workflow for you. Utilizing [data-icon]-style embedding for the icon font can also help maintain a cleaner CSS codebase (attr() is compatible with IE8+).

  • Exploring the Fallacy of Inlining Everything — Guy Podjarny, Perf Planet 2011
  • CSS Sprites vs. Data URIs: A Comparison of Mobile Performance — Peter McLachlan, August 29 2013

PS Apologies for the lengthy response, but I am also seeking this information.

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