Prefetch
ELI5 — The Vibe Check
Loading stuff before the user needs it. When someone hovers over a link, you start downloading that page's data so it loads instantly when they click. It's like a waiter who starts preparing your dessert while you're still eating the main course. Feels magical when done right.
Real Talk
Prefetching is a performance optimization that proactively loads resources (pages, scripts, data) that the user is likely to need next. Methods include <link rel='prefetch'> for next-navigation resources, <link rel='preload'> for current-page critical resources, and framework-specific implementations like Nuxt/Next.js link prefetching.
When You'll Hear This
"Nuxt prefetches linked pages on hover — that's why navigation feels instant." / "Don't prefetch everything or you'll waste bandwidth."
Related Terms
Lazy Loading
Lazy loading waits until you actually access related data before fetching it. Access post.author and only then does it query the database.
Preload
Telling the browser 'hey, you're gonna need this file SOON, start downloading it NOW.
SSR (Server-Side Rendering)
SSR means the server builds your HTML before sending it to the user's browser.