How to Improve Your Time to First Byte (TTFB)
Time To First Byte (TTFB) is a crucial influence on website performance. The easy answer is increasing server resources, but there are other considerations too.
Articles, page 14 of 26
Articles from more than two decades of building, rebuilding, debugging and leading web projects.
How to Improve Your Time to First Byte (TTFB). 
Optional Chaining in JavaScript (?.). Optional Chaining in JavaScript (
?.)Introduced as part of the ES2020 spec, JavaScript optional chaining takes some of the guesswork and convoluted if statement structuring out of accessing data.
Semantic HTML. Semantic HTML
Semantic HTML explained through meaningful elements, HTML5 structure, header, nav, footer, section, figure, accessibility, and more understandable markup.
Positioning in CSS. Positioning in CSS
Understand CSS positioning with static, relative, absolute, fixed, and sticky values, including containing blocks, layout effects, and common front‑end bugs.
Why is Time to First Byte (TTFB) Important? Why is Time to First Byte (TTFB) Important?
Time To First Byte (TTFB) is a measurement of the time is takes for a server to respond to a request: how quickly your visitor can start to load your page.
Automatically Submit Sitemaps to Google During Gatsby Build. Automatically Submit Sitemaps to Google During Gatsby Build
You can let Google know that your website (and the content within) has been updated by submitting an updated sitemap automatically via a simple Node.js script.
Margin Collapse in CSS. Margin Collapse in CSS
Understand CSS margin collapse, including vertical margins, parent‑child behaviour, margin transference, why it feels odd, and how to prevent it.
Use CSS to Change the Mouse Cursor. Use CSS to Change the Mouse Cursor
Change the mouse cursor with CSS using built‑in cursor values or custom assets, while keeping interaction cues useful and avoiding distracting effects.
Exploring CSS Viewport Units Beyond vw and vh. Exploring CSS Viewport Units Beyond
vwandvhExplore CSS viewport units beyond vw and vh, including vmin, vmax, vi, vb, svh, lvh, and dvh for mobile browser chrome, writing modes, and sizing bugs.
Happy Holidays! Happy Holidays!
A short 2021 holiday note closing the working year, thanking clients and collaborators, and reflecting on a productive year before the Christmas break.
Cleaning up Your JavaScript Code: The Double Bang (!!) Operator. Cleaning up Your JavaScript Code: The Double Bang (
!!) OperatorThe double bang operator turns values into explicit booleans, but it is not always the clearest option. Here's when it helps and when it does not.
Performance Lessons from Small Brighton Websites. Performance Lessons from Small Brighton Websites
Small Brighton websites can still be slow. Here are practical performance lessons on images, scripts, hosting, mobile UX, and maintainable fixes.
Web Development and the Environment. Web Development and the Environment
Web development has an environmental cost, from heavy pages to inefficient infrastructure. This article looks at where teams can reduce the damage.
Understanding and Using Flexbox in CSS. Understanding and Using Flexbox in CSS
Flexbox in CSS allows for flexible, dynamic and responsive layouts. Learn how to use its properties to create efficient interfaces and avoid potential issues.
React vs. Vue vs. Angular. React vs. Vue vs. Angular
Compare React, Vue, and Angular across ecosystem, learning curve, state, templates, team fit, SEO concerns, and how to choose a front‑end framework.
Specificity in CSS. Specificity in CSS
CSS specificity explains why some selectors win and others stubbornly do not. This guide breaks down the rules without making them feel mystical.
Static Site Generators. Static Site Generators
Static site generators trade runtime complexity for build‑time output. This article looks at the benefits, the drawbacks, and where they fit best.
Use Chrome's Developer Tools to Track Element Focus. Use Chrome's Developer Tools to Track Element Focus
Use Chrome Developer Tools to track focused elements, debug phantom keyboard focus, improve accessibility testing, and create a useful live expression.
10 Essential SEO Tips for Front‑End Developers. 10 Essential SEO Tips for Front‑End Developers
Ten practical SEO areas front‑end developers can influence, from site speed and semantics to metadata, mobile UX, internal links, and structured data.
All About Headless CMSes. All About Headless CMSes
Websites have not been set‑and‑forget for a long time now, and without the technical know‑how to update a static site, CMSes are a key part of web development.
How to Amend Git Commits. How to Amend Git Commits
Amend Git commits safely with git commit ‑‑amend, message fixes, forgotten files, reset alternatives, tidy history, and remote‑branch cautions cleanly.
