Shape list reads around the fields the list displays. Keep large document bodies, histories, rendered output, and other rarely viewed data on a detail or on-demand path. Return a small preview when the list needs one.
Paginate or window unbounded histories and activity feeds. Start with the recent or visible range and load more as the user asks for it.
Batch related reads instead of issuing one query per row. Compute counts and other aggregates in the database when the result can be much smaller than the source rows.
Start independent reads together. Do not make the first useful content wait for unrelated settings, below-the-fold panels, or secondary details.
Index fields used by frequent filters, joins, and sorts when the data and observed query cost justify it. Keep indexes aligned with real query shapes.

For action-backed screens, shape the action response for the screen's current need and keep the UI on the app's existing action and query hooks. Do not add a second fetch path that duplicates the same read.

Keep repeated work cheap

Keep list and frequently refreshed reads inexpensive. Avoid parsing, reformatting, or rebuilding large values on every read when the result can be prepared once or computed only for the view that needs it.
Use the app's existing live-update path when fresh data must reach an open screen. Poll only when needed, and keep polled reads bounded and cheap.
Keep large file contents and long records out of list responses. Load them when the user opens the relevant item rather than sending them on every list refresh.
Defer nonessential data and expensive child views until after the main content is usable. Window a rendered list when rendering all rows makes scrolling or updates slow.

Protect startup and the first paint

Keep migrations, backfills, data scans, aggregations, provider handshakes, and cache warming out of module evaluation and application startup. Hosted serverless instances can restart, so startup work can repeat on user requests. Use the app's deliberate migration, job, or on-demand path.
Keep optional heavy runtimes out of modules loaded by ordinary page requests. Load a browser, media processor, or other large dependency only in the feature or job that needs it, and inspect the deployed bundle when adding one.
Keep the server-rendered shell public and independent of a visitor's session. Resolve user-specific state after the shell loads through the app's authenticated client data path. Reads that must reflect a recent mutation should not depend on cached server-rendered loader data.
Give loading placeholders the final content's basic geometry. Reserve space for content whose size is known; avoid showing a temporary layout that shifts the user's reading position when data arrives.

Keep interactions responsive

Show that an interaction registered as soon as it happens, aiming for 100 ms. If the work needs the network or takes longer, acknowledge it before waiting and show a focused pending state within 400 ms. Use an optimistic update when it is safe, then confirm or roll back on failure.

When investigating a slow experience, separate server response time, data transfer, serial waits, rendering, layout movement, and long interaction work. Use representative data and the production build when development tooling changes the cost. Verify that the user-visible action completed before comparing timings or memory.

performance

Performance

Load only what the current view needs