Boosting JavaScript Performance

Abstract

In this chapter, we’ll look at how to improve the performance of JavaScript applications through coding tips, techniques, best practices, and modern APIs. I take my view on performance holistically, meaning I take the lifecycle of the whole application into account. That means that instead of focusing purely on the number of lines of code executed, I appreciate that the perceived performance of an application can be improved by faster and more efficient JavaScript file loading, as well as more efficient calls, selectors, and even through CSS and HTML optimizations. In this chapter, however, we’ll focus specifically on what we can do with JavaScript code and files to improve the performance of our web sites and applications. If you would like to read more about improving rendering performance for your page, take a look at Addy Osmani’s excellent case study on this topic, titled “Gone In 60 Frames Per Second” via http://bit.ly/gone_60 .