RobotnixAcademy

Unit 09 · lesson

Performance and Asset Audit

Static sites can be fast.

They can also ship a 12 MB image and three unused script libraries.

"Static" is not a performance guarantee.

Inventory network-facing assets

List:

  • CSS files;
  • JavaScript files;
  • images;
  • fonts;
  • third-party embeds/resources;
  • plugin-generated feeds/sitemaps if relevant.

Record approximate file sizes from the generated site.

Images first

Images are often the biggest portfolio assets.

Check:

  • dimensions vs displayed size;
  • file format;
  • compression;
  • duplicate/unused files;
  • meaningful alt text;
  • whether the image adds enough value to justify its weight.

CSS and JS

Ask:

  • Is the stylesheet full of abandoned experiments?
  • Did you include JavaScript for a feature CSS/HTML already solves?
  • Is a library loaded on every page but used once?
  • Does a theme ship assets you no longer use?

Jekyll build vs browser performance

A fast Jekyll build and a fast website are different metrics.

BUILD PERFORMANCE
how long source → _site takes

RUNTIME/DELIVERY PERFORMANCE
how much the browser downloads/parses/renders

Measure the right layer.

Portfolio action

Make one performance revision based on evidence.

Examples:

  • resize/compress an image;
  • remove an unused asset;
  • simplify unnecessary client-side JavaScript;
  • reduce a repeated external resource.

Checkpoint

Record before/after evidence and explain which layer improved.