Optimizing Website Speed: Techniques Used by McMaster-Carr

00:00 Intro

A deep dive into why McMaster-Carr's website, despite its age, is considered one of the fastest on the internet. The video explores various engineering techniques that contribute to its speed.

00:38 Server Rendered HTML

The website uses server-rendered HTML instead of relying on JavaScript frameworks, which allows for quicker rendering by the browser.

00:54 Prefetching HTML

It employs prefetching techniques where HTML for linked pages is loaded when users hover over links, making navigation feel instantaneous.

02:02 CDN Caching

Aggressive caching strategies are in place, utilizing a CDN to serve pre-rendered HTML to reduce load times.

02:36 Client Caching with Service Worker

A service worker caches HTML for quicker retrieval, significantly reducing load times from 65 milliseconds to just 7 milliseconds upon refresh.

03:29 Preloading Assets

The website preloads essential assets like fonts and images, minimizing request delays and improving loading efficiency.

05:33 Critical CSS

Critical CSS is employed to ensure styles are applied immediately without causing layout shifts or delays.

06:49 LCP

The Largest Contentful Paint (LCP) is remarkably fast at 174 milliseconds due to optimized CSS loading and minimal page jank.

07:36 Fixed Size Images

Images are given fixed dimensions to prevent content shifting during loading, enhancing user experience.

09:02 JavaScript

The website loads only necessary JavaScript for each page, improving performance by avoiding unnecessary scripts.

10:44 jQuery and YUI

Older libraries like YUI and jQuery are used effectively, demonstrating that speed can be achieved with various technologies.

12:15 Slow Pages

Some pages may still experience slowness due to database lookups, but overall performance remains impressive.

12:44 Wrap Up

The combination of these techniques makes McMaster-Carr's website incredibly fast, catering to users who prioritize quick access to information.