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⚠️ This article was written in 2020. Some content may be outdated.

Web Vitals Core Performance Metrics Explained

When it comes to Web Vitals core performance metrics, many developers only stay at the level of API calls. This article tries to discuss the real problems you'll hit and their solutions from a production perspective.

Basic Principles ​

Building on this, we can optimize further:

javascript
const observer = new PerformanceObserver((list) => {
  for (const entry of list.getEntries()) {
    if (entry.entryType === 'largest-contentful-paint') {
      reportMetric('LCP', entry.startTime)
    }
    if (entry.entryType === 'first-input') {
      reportMetric('FID', entry.processingStart - entry.startTime)
    }
  }
})
observer.observe({ entryTypes: ['largest-contentful-paint', 'first-input'] })

This pattern is very useful in large projects and can significantly cut maintenance cost.

Advanced Features ​

Usage in real projects is a bit more complex:

javascript
const observer = new PerformanceObserver((list) => {
  for (const entry of list.getEntries()) {
    if (entry.entryType === 'largest-contentful-paint') {
      reportMetric('LCP', entry.startTime)
    }
    if (entry.entryType === 'first-input') {
      reportMetric('FID', entry.processingStart - entry.startTime)
    }
  }
})
observer.observe({ entryTypes: ['largest-contentful-paint', 'first-input'] })

This approach improves both the testability and extensibility of the code.

Project Practice ​

Here is a complete example:

javascript
const observer = new PerformanceObserver((list) => {
  for (const entry of list.getEntries()) {
    if (entry.entryType === 'largest-contentful-paint') {
      reportMetric('LCP', entry.startTime)
    }
    if (entry.entryType === 'first-input') {
      reportMetric('FID', entry.processingStart - entry.startTime)
    }
  }
})
observer.observe({ entryTypes: ['largest-contentful-paint', 'first-input'] })

Pay close attention to edge cases — this is critical in production.

Best Practices ​

The key is to understand the core logic:

javascript
const observer = new PerformanceObserver((list) => {
  for (const entry of list.getEntries()) {
    if (entry.entryType === 'largest-contentful-paint') {
      reportMetric('LCP', entry.startTime)
    }
    if (entry.entryType === 'first-input') {
      reportMetric('FID', entry.processingStart - entry.startTime)
    }
  }
})
observer.observe({ entryTypes: ['largest-contentful-paint', 'first-input'] })

Performance optimization needs to be tied to the specific scenario; not everything needs to be over-optimized.

Common Pitfalls ​

We can improve it in the following ways:

javascript
const observer = new PerformanceObserver((list) => {
  for (const entry of list.getEntries()) {
    if (entry.entryType === 'largest-contentful-paint') {
      reportMetric('LCP', entry.startTime)
    }
    if (entry.entryType === 'first-input') {
      reportMetric('FID', entry.processingStart - entry.startTime)
    }
  }
})
observer.observe({ entryTypes: ['largest-contentful-paint', 'first-input'] })

This approach has been running stably in production for over half a year and has been validated in practice.

Summary ​

  • A deep dive into Web Vitals core metrics is no silver bullet; choose based on your project's size and tech stack.
  • Understanding the underlying principles matters more than memorizing APIs.
  • Be sure to verify compatibility before using it in production.
  • On a team, conventions and documentation matter more than the tech itself.

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