Google announced that it is launching a new module for the Apache Web Server called “mod_pagespeed” that can perform numerous speed optimizations automatically. What this new module does is, rather than having to tune up your server configuration for every site you setup, you can install the new module to automatically optimize. While using the module, Google claims that it has seen mod_pagespeed minimize page load times by up to 50%.
Some of what mod_pagespeed does:
- Make changes to pages built by a CMS without having to change the CMS itself.
- Compress and combine your CSS and Javascript files.
- Optimize cache settings by extending cache-lifetime for elements like logos and images up to a year, while letting you update those files.
- Remove comments and whitespace from files.
- Optimize images by re-scaling, re-compressing, and stripping the metadata from images loaded via img tags.
Google will be working with Go Daddy to get mod_pagespeed running on many of its servers. It is also working with Contendo to integrate mod_pagespeed into its CDN.
Anything Else?
mod_pagespeed also comes with a way to track statistics with regard to page performance, such as a page’s load time. All you have to do is inject a tiny Javascript snippet into the top and very bottom of your pages, and it uses those to report back to the server on load time. This lets you measure the effects of the different filters, after which you can decide which ones to keep using.
How this Relates to CWD
When it comes to page optimization, Chico Web Design goes to great lengths to verify that your website is the fastest it can possibly be. From co-lo facilities with the fasted bandwidth, to quad core processors in our servers, and simplified code that lets the browser move freely through the code. This will only help Chico Web Design optimize and present websites faster.