Resource Hints

HTML resource hints can help browsers schedule network work. For example, dns-prefetch may resolve a third-party host early, preconnect may establish a network connection, preload may prioritize a resource needed on the current page, and prefetch may retrieve a resource for possible future navigation. These instructions serve different purposes and should not be treated as interchangeable.

Because the browser may ignore a hint, performance gains are conditional. Too many preconnect declarations can waste connections, while preloading a resource that is not actually needed can consume bandwidth. Prioritize assets that real performance measurements identify as critical, particularly fonts, images or scripts on important page templates.

Resource hints are different from server hosting quotas or caching policy. They influence the timing of browser requests, not the amount of CPU or storage the hosting plan provides. Verify the resulting request sequence and Core Web Vitals on representative devices rather than claiming that adding a hint automatically makes the site fast.