What is Preload and prefetch?
Also called: Resource hints, Preconnect
The short answer
Preload and prefetch are hints that tell the browser to fetch a resource early: preload for something the current page needs now, prefetch for something the next page will need.
Preload and prefetch, explained
Preconnect warms up a connection to another domain. Overusing hints wastes bandwidth on things that are never used.
Questions people ask about Preload and prefetch
What is Preload and prefetch?
Preload and prefetch are hints that tell the browser to fetch a resource early: preload for something the current page needs now, prefetch for something the next page will need.
Related terms
Largest Contentful Paint measures how long it takes for the largest visible element, usually the hero image or headline, to appear; good is 2.5 seconds or less.
Web font loadingWeb font loading is how a page fetches and swaps in custom fonts; done badly it hides text or shifts layout, done well text shows immediately and swaps smoothly.
Page speedPage speed is how quickly a web page loads and becomes usable, measured by metrics like Largest Contentful Paint, Interaction to Next Paint and layout stability.
Core Web VitalsCore Web Vitals are Google's three user-experience metrics: Largest Contentful Paint for loading, Interaction to Next Paint for responsiveness and Cumulative Layout Shift for visual stability.
Part of the Web Encyclopedia by Apex Flow Digital. Definitions are general knowledge, kept current, with no invented statistics.