Deferring non-critical API data loadingfor Drupal 8 , 9 , 10 , and 11

Home » Headless Drupal » Deferring non-critical API data loading
Last updated :  
8.x , 9.x , 10.x , 11.x

Introduction

In the design of efficient headless Drupal applications, optimizing the load time of your user interface is crucial for performance and usability. One effective strategy to enhance performance is deferring non-critical API data loading. By doing so, you ensure that essential data loads first, improving perceived load times and user satisfaction. This lesson focuses on techniques to identify and implement deferring strategies in your Drupal API architecture.

Understanding Data Loading Priorities

Not all data is required immediately when a user visits a web page or interacts with an application. Critical data, such as main content, should be loaded first, while non-critical data like supplementary information, analytics, or background images can be postponed or loaded asynchronously.

Benefits of Deferring Non-Critical Data

The deferral of non-essential API data provides several advantages:

  • Improved Load Times: Prioritizing critical data ensures faster initial load, impacting the user's first impression positively.
  • Reduced Initial Network Load: Decreases data throughput needed when loading a page, leading to faster data processing.
  • Enhanced User Experience: Creates a seamless and smoother interaction by prioritizing visible content and gradually loading additional details.

Implementing Data Deferral Techniques

  1. Identify Critical Data:

    Begin by determining which parts of your API responses are essential for the initial user experience. 

    # Example: Determine that article titles and summaries are critical.
Critical data: Titles, Summaries
Non-critical data: Comments, Author info
  2. Lazy Loading with JavaScript:

    Use JavaScript or frameworks like React or Vue.js to implement lazy loading for non-essential data. 

    # Use JavaScript's fetch API for deferred calls
fetch('/api/comments')
  .then(response => response.json())
  .then(data => displayComments(data));
  3. Develop Incremental API Calls:

    Divide API requests into multiple segments, fetching additional data only after the main content has been loaded. 

    # Initial call fetches critical content
GET /jsonapi/node/blog?fields[node--blog]=title,summary

# Subsequent call fetches non-critical content
GET /jsonapi/node/blog?include=author,comments
  4. Utilize Web Workers for Background Tasks:

    Offload non-critical processing tasks from the main execution thread to web workers, enhancing UI responsiveness.

Example: Implementing Deferral on a Blog Page

Consider enhancing a Blog page by deferring the loading of comments and author details:

  1. Load page with main blog post content (title and summary).
  2. After initial rendering, trigger background API calls to load comments and author details.
  3. Asynchronously display additional data as it becomes available, maintaining a responsive UI throughout.

This methodology improves load times and maintains a positive user experience by ensuring clickable and readable content is immediately accessible upon page entry.

Conclusion

Deferring non-critical API data loading is a strategic approach to optimizing performance in headless Drupal applications. By managing how and when data is loaded, you improve load times and enhance usability, significantly boosting user engagement and satisfaction.

What's Next?

In the following lesson, we will explore using accessCheck(FALSE) for faster queries—a practice that allows bypassing certain access checks when security constraints permit, further refining performance. Stay tuned as we continue empowering your headless Drupal application with advanced optimizations!