3.14 Use the most efficient solution for your service
Choose lightweight, efficient implementation approaches that balance effort, performance, and environmental impact while favoring simple, native, and static solutions.
Success Criteria
- Appropriate Implementation:
Choose implementation approaches that balance effort, performance, and environmental impact. Simpler solutions may reduce complexity and runtime impact but require more human effort, while prebuilt tools may reduce build time and development effort but increase ongoing resource use. Evaluate the environmental cost of build processes, asset transformations, and external dependencies, ensuring every layer delivers genuine user value. - Optimized methodology:
Use the most performant approach for your use case. Most of the time, coding from scratch can provide the most performant results, but where a well-maintained existing solution is available it may be better optimized than what you can produce yourself. Favor native components and file systems over WYSIWYG editors, visual page builders, or heavy frameworks. Be mindful of the performance, maintenance, and environmental impact of third-party solutions. - Static over dynamic:
Deliver static content in place of dynamic content wherever possible. If code generation is required, favor the efficient tools, such as Static Site Generators (SSGs). Be aware that dynamic CMS-driven content typically involves greater server-side processing and relies on bulkier libraries compared to static approaches. - Extensions and plugins:
Review plugins, extensions, and themes regularly to ensure they remain compatible with the platform and other components, are efficient, and accessible. - Interface components:
Use user interface components that are lightweight, focused, and efficient, avoiding unnecessary complexity that increases resource use, environmental impact, or maintenance burden.