FrontendHaltPerformance·Intermediate·Conceptual·1 min read
Why is preloading a web font effective?
Short interview answer
Fonts are normally discovered late, only when the browser parses the CSS rule that references them, which is already several steps into loading. A preload link starts the font download near the start of the page load, removing a serial round trip from the critical path.
Key takeaway
Explain the underlying mental model clearly, then support it with a concrete example and its trade-offs.