Render-blocking resource

PerformanceDefined term

A render-blocking resource is one the HTML parser or renderer must wait for: stylesheets referenced in the head and classic synchronous scripts without defer or async. Until they arrive and execute, the page cannot produce its first meaningful paint.

The mitigation toolkit is standardized: defer and async attributes, media-conditional stylesheets, preload for late-discovered critical assets, and inlining truly critical CSS. Every render-blocking byte sits directly on the Largest Contentful Paint path.

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Performance