Performance
Browser Extension system requirements and performance optimization information
System Requirements/Resource Utilization
PixieBrix resources depend on the number of mods activated, the number of frames where those mods are running, and the size of those mods.
The following are estimates for normal PixieBrix usage:
Hard Drive Storage:
Browser Extension (Unzipped): 36.4 MB. Note that Chrome has a long-standing bug where older extension versions are retained on disk after updates. If hard-drive space is limited, you may need to run a recurring job to clean old versions of the extension.
Package Definitions: 5-25 MB. Package storage space depends on how many mods the user has access to and the size of those mods (e.g. if the mod includes embedded images directly in the package definition.)
Memory
Baseline: 34 MB
Peak: 130 MB. Note that Chrome runs memory garbage collection automatically based on available system memory.
Measuring Resource Utilization/Performance
Basic: Chrome Task Manager
Open the Chrome Task Manager, by clicking Chrome's 3 dot menu and selecting More Tools > Task Manager.
Locate the entry for Extension: PixieBrix.
If the Memory Footprint column is not visible, right-click on the header row and select "Memory Footprint" to show that column.
Advanced: Use Chrome Lighthouse to Measure Impact on Page Load
Lighthouse is a tool in Google Chrome to measure page performance and quality. To measure the impact of browser extension on page load, you can:
Run a Lighthouse performance report without the extension active
Run a Lighthouse performance report with the extension active
For each, Lighthouse will generate a report with an overall score as well as other key performance metrics, e.g.: First Contentful Paint and Total Blocking Time.
Tuning Memory Utilization
Chromium Memory Saver
Modern Chromium browsers (e.g., Chrome and Edge) include a Memory Saver mode that automatically frees memory on inactive tabs until they are revisited. The browser will also free up PixieBrix's memory from those inactive tabs.
Verify your Memory Saver settings: chrome://settings/performance
Restricting PixieBrix Frame Origins
By default, PixieBrix includes a small bootstrap content script on each frame. PixieBrix then dynamically imports content required to run mods as necessary.
To limit memory utilization, you can set an IT policy restricting PixieBrix to only run on the necessary origins. See Browser Extension Security for instructions
Viewing Extension Storage Statistics
Contact [email protected] to turn on the ability to view Extension Storage Statistics for the impacted account.
When the flag has been enabled, instruct the user to:
Visit the Admin Console to refresh their settings
Visit Visit Extension Console > Settings to view the statistics
The Extension Storage Statistics card list the hard drive utilization. For example:
Troubleshooting Performance Issues
| Symptom | Likely Cause | Investigation/Solution |
|---|---|---|
Chrome displays a "Aw, Snap" crash on the tab | The tab used too much memory |
|
Chrome displays a "Page Unresponsive" popup | There is an infinite loop, or high CPU utilization has prevented repainting the page |
|
Content is loading slowly on the page | Slow network connection or slow host website |
|
Page animation transitions are laggy after load; panes in the host app temporarily show blank content | An inefficient mutation or intersection observer is slowing down repaints |
|
Last updated
