Applications Tools to Measure the Performance of a Web ApplicationWeb applications have been with us for a long time, and although …

Web applications have been with us for a long time, and although in general we usually analyze them from the point of view of users, in this case we are going to focus on what happens to those who develop them.

The truth is that as we have advanced with development technologies, we find that the performance demanded by users is increasingly important, and that is why questions such as the Responsive Design.

When we talk about Responsive Design, we are referring to a design trend that Google It takes into account for its search algorithms, so it is advisable that in no case we lose sight of it.

Now, if we are developers, even when we are clear about the long-term goal, we may find that we can lose sight of the process, and that is where we want to stop.

What Should I Know About Responsive Design?

One of the most common mistakes made in this type of case has to do with the load of the images, since on certain occasions some are used much heavier than they should.

The important thing in these cases is that you try not to load your page too much with images, because if we add to them later the style sheets, other JavaScript content and some more, we will finish boring users.

On the other hand, you have to know for sure that most users carry out their design tests in local environments, and that’s when you have to review all the details of the code, before publishing it.

The tests that we carry out should, as far as possible, be carried out in the same conditions in which the users will then access the application, since on the contrary, there will be a lag between the two.

In this same period, it is just as important that you always consider beyond design for computers, design for mobile devices, given that there are already many users who access sites through the telephone and not the PC.

What is Web Performance?

At this point, something called web performance, which is nothing more than the measurement of the time that elapses between when we visit the web, and the moment in which all its contents have been loaded.

There are many indicators or parameters that you have to consider in these cases to make an estimate of the performance of the app, namely:

We have for example the quantitative indicators, about which we must say that they are those that are measured from formulas, numbers or techniques that have been previously defined, and that therefore do not give rise to personal opinions or interpretations.

Then the qualitative indicators, on which it will be necessary to say that it is a previous category, since everything will depend mainly on subjective interpretations, which can nevertheless be supported by quantitative indicators.

From these two large categories, then appear specific indicators What to keep in mind:

First of all we have, as we said before, charging time of the page, which is a matter that we must not neglect, because it can mean the success or failure of our website. Always, always, our application must fully load before 10 seconds.

Page size It does not have to be left aside either, considering that it is the sum of all the components that are part of the site, which will somehow determine the loading time, in combination with the Internet connection. Your app should then weigh as little as possible.

On the other hand, and something less simple than what we have been mentioning, is the number of HTTP requests, about which we must say that they refer to the number of connections required by the application or site at the time of loading.

Finally we meet the render time of the application, which is neither more nor less than the time that passes between when all the resources have been loaded, and the moment in which the app can be shown as it should look.

Useful Tools for Web Performance

Well, at this point then we have to talk about some tools that can be useful to know a little more in detail how our web applications work.

The interesting thing about the case is that there are really tools varied, some of which do not require downloads as they are available online, while others are even minor, functioning as browser add-ons.

Some of these platforms are as follows:

GTmetrix is a website that offers a really attractive service, since in just one second it is able to show us all the load statistics of our website, based on the main performance algorithms. It even offers you some recommendations for you to consider.

On the other hand, it is impossible not to consider what Chrome Developer Console, which, as its name indicates, has been created by Google, and which has a huge number of internal characteristics thanks to which we can see the loading times of each component.

Our recommendation is that you use them in that order, since the first of them is a bit more basic than the second, and you will only be ready for Google’s once you have understood well how to take advantage of GTmetrix.

As you can see, develop applications and ensuring that its performance is the best possible is something increasingly simple, and that is why the number of users who dare to do so has not stopped growing in recent times.

Have you been able to improve the performance of your web applications with these tricks that we have taught you?