Web Apps Running Slow? Here’s How to Fix That
In line with current trends, businesses are adopting digital tech solutions to enhance their processes and drive higher customer engagement. Today, tools like websites, mobile apps, and web apps have become essential in the daily lives of consumers. With high-speed Internet availability, consumers prioritize speed, and a poor platform performance will only drive users away.
81% of business leaders consider investments in digital transformation necessary for achieving business success. In various industries, many create mobile apps, web apps, websites, etc., to enhance service speed, save resources, and improve process efficiency. However, to reach this level, it is essential to first ensure the fast performance of these platforms.
Considering the critical importance of web app performance speed for business success, Milies, together with its team, has studied and highlighted 5 tips, based on our experience, to help maximize the productivity and speed of web apps.
5 Tips to Speed Up Web App Performance from Milies Team
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Minimize and Bundle JavaScript Files
Every website sends HTTP requests related to each external resource during the loading process. When multiple files are present, the number of HTTP requests increases, prolonging the website's loading time and potentially causing it to work somewhat slower. To address this common issue, our specialists recommend reducing the number of requests by combining multiple files, resulting in a shorter loading time.
Large files also require additional time, which has a certain impact on overall loading optimization. Sometimes, the size of certain files (such as images) can be reduced using special tools. Files with smaller sizes load faster. For file merging and/or reducing file sizes, tools such as Webpack, Parcel, or Rollup can be used.
Also, we have highlighted other tips that can be used to optimize page speed.
a) Break down JS files into smaller parts
JavaScript files can be split into smaller, modular chunks that are loaded on demand, helping to reduce the initial load time when a user first accesses the page.
b) Caching
Long-term caching strategies can be used to store already loaded and unchanged files, so the files don’t need to be loaded again on subsequent visits.
Bundling and minification improve page load times, performance, user experience, and SEO by reducing HTTP requests, executing smaller JavaScript files faster, and reducing latency, thereby enhancing app performance and user satisfaction.
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Use Efficient Data Structures and Algorithms
Data structures play a crucial role in processing speed, memory usage, and algorithm complexity. Inefficient data structures can slow down applications, especially when dealing with large amounts of data. Choosing the right data structure optimizes memory usage, such as using arrays when data size is known and unlikely to change. Algorithm complexity, ranging from constant time operations to quadratic time, depends on the underlying data structures. Understanding the trade-offs of different algorithms helps select the most efficient one for a task.
a) Replace ‘forEach’ with standard ‘for’ loops
The forEach loop is often used for iteration and is one of the most common methods, but it doesn’t always work efficiently with more complex functions. This method iterates over each element, leading to a loss of time. Instead, using a for loop can be faster, as it doesn’t call external functions, resulting in higher performance. Note that this approach is applicable when high performance is a priority.
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b) Use appropriate data structures to optimize operations
Choosing the right data structures is essential for optimizing the performance of JS apps. Some of the most common structures include maps, sets, arrays, and others.
• Maps are collections of key-value pairs, where keys are unique, and their values can be any data type. Maps are a good option for comparing objects and for tasks like finding, deleting, or inserting elements.
• Sets are fast for finding elements and are a good option since they store unique values. If a value is repeated, the set will automatically remove it.
• Arrays are ideal for storing ordered data collections when frequent index-based access is needed. If data collections are unordered and an element needs to be searched in arrays, consider sorting them in advance or using more complex algorithms like binary search.
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c) Optimize Sorting
Use efficient sorting algorithms such as QuickSort (O(n log n)) or MergeSort rather․
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d) Avoid Nested Loops
If you have nested loops over large datasets, try to find a more optimized solution to avoid the O(n^2) time complexity, which becomes very slow for large datasets.
Your application's efficiency can be significantly increased with the correct data structures and methods. Your program can operate quicker and more efficiently if you use optimized algorithms, replace inefficient loops, and choose the right data structures (such as Maps, Sets, and Arrays). Always try to simplify your processes and choose data structures that will enable you to complete jobs with the least amount of memory and time.
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Limit DOM Manipulation
DOM manipulation is crucial in web development, but excessive or inefficient changes can significantly impact performance, especially in complex or highly interactive applications. The Document Object Model (DOM) is a tree-like representation of all elements on a webpage and manipulating it can be time-consuming as the browser updates the visual representation of the page after each change. Frequent or complex updates can cause reflows, which recalculate the position and size of elements on the page, and repaints, which redraw elements without changing the layout, such as changing a color. While repaints are less costly than reflows, they can still slow down the app if too frequent.
a) Minimize the number of elements in the DOM
By reducing the overall number of elements on a page, you can minimize the workload of reflows and repaints, which leads to optimized web app performance. You can achieve a reduction in elements by:
• Simplifying the HTML structure whenever possible.
• Avoiding the use of complex elecments if they’re unnecessary.
• Using lighter elements for non-essential parts of the interface.
b) Use ‘requestAnimationFrame’ for Animations Instead of Timers
When it comes to animations, setInterval or setTimeout is often used. Instead, consider using requestAnimationFrame, which ensures smoother animations by synchronizing with the screen refresh rate. Additionally, it stops updating the animation when the user closes the window or switches tabs, conserving resources.
c) Batch DOM Updates to Reduce Reflows and Repaints
To reduce reflows and repaints in a browser, use batch DOM updates. This involves appending elements to a document fragment without impacting the live DOM, and then applying it to the DOM once ready.
Another method is to hide an element with display: none before making changes and show it afterward to avoid multiple reflows. Performance can be greatly improved by restricting DOM modifications and adhering to certain best practices, particularly for resource-intensive and interactive apps.
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Monitor Performance Regularly
The best method for ensuring the effective operation and performance of JS apps is continuous monitoring. Under the influence of traffic changes or external factors, the productivity of apps may not be as effective.
Performance monitoring allows you to quickly identify areas that may slow down the app's performance.
The quick identification and resolution of issues through monitoring are more important than they may seem:
• Problems do not have the chance to impact the app's rating and SEO, which is crucial for achieving high rankings in search engines.
• Users do not have a bad experience, which prevents complaints, low engagement, and so on.
• These issues do not affect conversion and sales levels, which means the business's profitability is not harmed.
a) Tools for Performance Monitoring
For performance monitoring and control, relevant tools can be used:
• Lighthouse: It is a tool from Google that evaluates web page performance, including load speed, accessibility, and SEO. It provides actionable insights into factors affecting performance, such as large images or inefficient JavaScript. It can be used directly from Chrome DevTools or via the command line.
• Chrome DevTools: Chrome has a suite of developer tools that help inspect and monitor performance in real time. The tool provides detailed data and insights of load times, resource usage, and network activity, aiding in identifying and debugging performance bottlenecks.
• WebPageTest: It is a free online tool that tests web page performance from various locations and browsers. It helps understand website performance under different conditions, including network speeds, and provides insights into page load time and delays. To use it, enter your website's URL and select test parameters.
b) Frequent Evaluation of App Performance Metrics
In addition to employing comparable techniques, a number of metrics (KPI) can be used to determine whether the app is currently performing well and whether any areas require improvement.
• Page Load Time: The time it takes for your page or app to load completely. Optimizing this metric can greatly improve user satisfaction.
• Time to First Byte (TTFB): The time it takes for the browser to receive the first byte of data from your server. Lower TTFB usually means a faster response from your server.
• First Contentful Paint (FCP): Measures when the first piece of content (like text or an image) is rendered in the browser. Faster FCP can reduce perceived loading time.
• JavaScript Execution Time: The time it takes for scripts to execute on the page. Heavy or blocking JavaScript can significantly delay page load.
• Responsive Design: Ensuring your app’s UI performs well across different devices (mobile, tablet, desktop).
Monitoring the above-mentioned factors and KPIs will allow for the quick identification and management of factors and issues affecting JS app performance, resulting in a better user experience and a positive impact on the business.
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Preventing Memory Losses and Improving Garbage Collection
A major problem in software development, memory leaks can eventually cause an app's performance to deteriorate. This problem can occur when objects or data are kept in memory that the program no longer requires. Unnecessary objects consume memory, but the system cannot release them automatically because references to them still exist. As a result, the app’s performance begins to slow down due to accumulated unused memory, leading to issues such as slow performance, crashes, or even system freezing.
Efficient garbage collection (GC) helps address this problem. Garbage collection is an automatic process used by many programming languages (such as JavaScript, Java, C#) for memory management. It works by identifying objects in memory that are no longer in use (meaning they no longer have active references). However, when memory leaks occur, the garbage collector cannot release unused memory, leading to excessive resource consumption.
To prevent such issues, here are several tips that can help effectively clean up memory and optimize app performance:
a) Performance Profiling Tools
Use specialized tools like Chrome DevTools, Node.js Profiling. These tools help track memory usage and identify leaks, showing over time where resources are being consumed.
b) Common Causes of Memory Leaks
• Unused Event Listeners can remain active because they simply haven’t been removed. To remove them, use removeEventListener() in JavaScript.
• Global variables remain in memory for the entire duration of the app’s operation. They are sometimes used excessively. It’s important to minimize the use of global variables. If possible, use closures or modules to limit the scope of variables and make them local to the context in which they are needed.
• Circular references occur when two or more objects reference each other, which prevents the garbage collector from clearing them. For example, if Object A references Object B, and Object B references Object A, both objects cannot be cleared by garbage collection. In such cases, it’s important to be vigilant and delete these objects if they are no longer needed.
c) Clean Up After Intervals and Timeouts
Intervals and timeouts can cause memory leaks if callback functions retain references to resources that should be released after a certain period. For instance, if you set an interval to execute every second but forget to clear it when it’s no longer needed, the callback function will continue running, consuming memory. Therefore, always clear intervals or timeouts with clearInterval() or clearTimeout() when they’re no longer needed.
d) Large Data Structures
If you work with large objects (such as caches or heavy data structures), consider using weak references. A weak reference allows the garbage collector to release memory when there are no strong references to an object, reducing the risk of memory leaks.
Proper memory management is essential for maintaining optimal app performance. This will improve your app’s performance, prevent crashes, and provide a smoother experience for users.
For optimal JavaScript app performance, consistency is key. These tips from the Milies team will help you enhance the efficiency of your web apps, leading to satisfied customers who are likely to return to your services. Moreover, performance optimization boosts your app's ranking in search engines, bringing in additional leads. Small actions like these are directly linked to your business's growth.
At Milies, we create competitive and innovative web apps with digital solutions that stand out in the market. You can sign up for a free consultation with our experts here!
Content Writer
05.12.2024
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Business
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