On today's web, performance isn't just a nice-to-have—it's essential. A slow or unstable experience drives users away, while a fast, reliable one builds trust and keeps them engaged. Web Performance Engineering is a comprehensive, hands-on guide for developers, technical leads, and performance engineers focused on delivering high-impact, user-first web experiences. Written by Addy Osmani, an engineering leader on the Google Chrome team, this book combines deep technical insight with a strong emphasis on usability and real-world effectiveness.
Through case studies, modern optimization techniques, and a user-centered approach, you'll learn how to identify bottlenecks, debug performance issues, and apply improvements that make a measurable difference. Grounded in current browser internals and performance metrics, this book prepares you to design and maintain faster, more resilient websites at scale.
- Understand how users perceive speed—and why it matters
- Evaluate and improve performance using key metrics
- Optimize for stability, responsiveness, and load time
- Identify and address the most common performance bottlenecks
- Apply real-world strategies that lead to lasting results
Addy Osmani is a long-time Googler and engineering leader at Google Cloud AI, focused on helping developers build high-impact, user-centric applications with Gemini, Vertex AI, and the broader AI platform. For nearly 14 years prior, he led performance, developer, and user-experience improvement efforts on the Chrome team, where his work helped influence how the web measures speed, prioritizes stability, and delivers responsive experiences at scale for billions of users worldwide.
Across both roles, Addy's work bridges deep platform insights with practical guidance for developers and technical leads. He's also the author of several O'Reilly titles, including Leading Effective Engineering Teams and Beyond Vibe Coding.
