helixml / chat-widget

Performance Optimization Outline

Code Splitting

Objective: Reduce initial bundle size and improve load times by splitting the application into smaller chunks that are loaded on demand.

Implementation: Utilizing Webpack’s splitChunks plugin to create separate bundles for different parts of the application.

Example: 

// webpack.config.js
          module.exports = {
            // ...
            optimization: {
              splitChunks: {
                chunks: 'all',
                minSize: 10000, // Minimum size of a chunk to be split (in bytes)
                maxSize: 250000, // Maximum size of a chunk to be split (in bytes)
                name: true, // Use file names to infer chunk names
                cacheGroups: {
                  vendors: {
                    test: /[\\/]node_modules[\\/]/,
                    name: 'vendors',
                    priority: -10
                  },
                  default: {
                    minChunks: 2, // Minimum number of chunks a module must be in to be included in this group
                    priority: -20,
                    reuseExistingChunk: true
                  }
                }
              }
            }
          };

Lazy Loading

Objective: Improve initial load times by loading components and modules only when they are needed.

Implementation: Utilizing React’s React.lazy and Suspense components to load components on demand.

Example:

// MyComponent.js
          const MyComponent = React.lazy(() => import('./MyComponent'));
          
          // App.js
          function App() {
            return (
              <div>
                <Suspense fallback={<div>Loading...</div>}>
                  <MyComponent />
                </Suspense>
              </div>
            );
          }

Caching

Objective: Reduce network requests and improve performance by storing frequently accessed resources in the browser’s cache.

Implementation: Utilizing HTTP caching headers to instruct the browser to cache resources.

Example:

// Server-side code (e.g., Express.js)
          app.get('/static/image.jpg', (req, res) => {
            res.setHeader('Cache-Control', 'public, max-age=31536000'); // Cache for 1 year
            res.sendFile(path.join(__dirname, 'public', 'image.jpg'));
          });

Resource Optimization

Objective: Minimize the size of images, scripts, and stylesheets to reduce load times.

Implementation: Using tools like ImageOptim, Webpack’s optimization plugins, and CSS minifiers to compress and optimize resources.

Example:

// webpack.config.js
          module.exports = {
            // ...
            optimization: {
              minimize: true, // Enable code minification
            },
            module: {
              rules: [
                {
                  test: /\.(png|jpg|gif|svg)$/,
                  use: [
                    {
                      loader: 'url-loader', // Load images as data URLs if smaller than a certain size
                      options: {
                        limit: 8192, // Limit size in bytes
                        name: 'images/[hash]-[name].[ext]'
                      }
                    }
                  ]
                }
              ]
            }
          };

Further Reading