Your browser maybe your favorite for several different reasons. For some people privacy is a concern and for some extra plugins may be the most important factor. But what most of the people look for is speed. It is the speed of a web browser that makes it best rated and provides edge over others.
There are various technical aspects that must be considered while judging a browser’s speed and performance. Every browser is coded in a certain way. It is these different types of coding that drives the browser’s success and popularity. The one with the best code remains at the top. In this article we will look into the various technical aspects and the key components of browser. The article deals with certain key points answering why one browser is faster than other:
There are two key features to be aware of: the browser engine and JavaScript engine.
Browser Engine
Browser engine is one of the key components of the browser that determine its overall performance. It does several operations like parsing the HTML and CSS code and then processing it to display on the screen and reinforcement of security policies. These are some major functions of a browser engine. It can also display HTML and XML documents and images and establishes font, color and text size. It can also display PDF and other formats of documents.
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Common Browser Engines
There are several browser engines in but four of them are commonly used ones: Blink, EdgeHTML, Gecko, and WebKit.
Blink is used extensively in browsers like opera and chrome. It was developed by Google, opera, adobe, intel and samsung. Having started as a Webkit, today it carries a free to use GNU LGPL License of its own.
EdgeHTML is the browser engine of Microsoft. It has been used in the Microsoft with great edge and replaced TRIDENT in 2015.
Gecko is the browser engine for Mozilla and a variety of browsers like hunderbird, and several browsers that are lesser-known.
WebKit is the browser engine of Apple. It has been used extensively in Safari, Amazon Kindle browser, TIZEN smart TV, and Blackberry OS. Chrome also used it until 2013 but later switched to Blink.
JavaScript Engine
JavaScript engine is also a key component of a browser that determines the speed of browsing. It is responsible for the amount of time it takes for a webpage to open. JavaScript is actually a famous programming language. It is generally all over the internet specially behind interactive objects and animation. It is responsible for converting JavaScript code into an optimum output for the parsing of browser in as little time as possible.
There are various kinds of Java script browser in the market:
V8
It is the JavaScript engine of Google which is also found in chrome browser. There are two code compilers in it: Full-codegen , which is a fast compiler that creates un-optimized codes and the other one is Crankshaft , which is a slower compiler that produces optimized codes. Both the compilers works simultaneously when coding is analyzed by the Javascript engine.
V8 is Google’s JavaScript engine. You’ll find it in Chrome browser; it’s been around since Chrome first launched in 2008.
JavaScriptCore
It is the second most widely used javascript browser. It functions under the brand name Nitro and it works in the background of aaple’s safari browser. It creates lexical analysis to create token rather than using multiple compilers like V8.
SpiderMonkey
Created by Netscape in late 1990s, it was the original JavaScript engine. After the demise of Netscape it is functioning as an open source engine. Currently, it is used by Mozilla Firefox browser.
Which JavaScript Engine Is the Fastest?
One cannot definitely say any browser to be the fastest because different JavaScript coded pages may open at different speed in different browsers. It depends upon how nicely is the JavaScript is coded and how faster can it be compiled by the browser engine. Some browsers also use loading and caching algorithms to improve speed on a site-by-site basis.
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The User-Controlled Aspects
The reason why a browser is slower than other may depend upon the user’ control. These are common points.
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Updates
This is one of the most common mistakes that most of the people do. They don’t update their browser run on outdated security interface that results in slower data access. An update consists of latest interface that works on latest technology to enhance your browsing experience. If the browser is not updated the speed drops automatically. Thus it is necessary to keep a check on latest updates.
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Extensions and Add-Ons
Keeping extra plug ins on your browser can be exciting and user friendly at the same time. But one should remember that it also consumes your CPU and ram space that can distort the speed of browsing. So one should limit the amount of plug ins in the browser.
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Browsing Data
The browser keeps a continuous track of our data usage pattern. The pages that we browse frequently, the unvisited pages, downloads, cookies, history, bookmarks, url , notes etc. That increase the cache. It puts an extra pressure on the browser. Thus lesser the cache, better is the performance of the browser. Thus one should keep erasing the cache at regular intervals to obtain smooth user friendly browsing experience.
Conclusion
From this article it is very obvious that the browsing speed depends on several factors. There are several technical tools that run in the background. The compiling and parsing of codes are the main aim of the browser. Faster the compiling and interpretation faster is the browser. Thus the browser companies are developing various methods to make their coding strong and efficient. Also there are several factors that depend on us. A certain level of awareness can change the browsing experience. Thus, one should be careful with their plug-ins and cache. More the load on the browser slower would be the speed. Apart from JavaScript engine and browser engine these factors also plays a major role in determining browser speed.