The Rise and Fall of FastClick.js: Enhancing Mobile Web Performance

Updated: at 04:20 AM

The Utility of FastClick.js

In the early days of mobile web development, developers faced a significant challenge: the 300ms delay between a user’s tap and the browser’s reaction on touch devices. This delay was introduced to distinguish between single and double taps, allowing the browser to decide whether to trigger a single tap event or wait for a potential double tap.

FastClick.js emerged as a solution to this problem. Created by the team at FT Labs, FastClick.js aimed to eliminate the 300ms delay, making mobile web applications feel snappier and more responsive. By bypassing this delay, FastClick.js improved the user experience on mobile devices, making interactions faster and more natural.

Why FastClick.js Is No Longer Useful

As mobile web technology evolved, so did the browsers. Modern browsers have largely eliminated the 300ms delay on their own, rendering FastClick.js less necessary. Here’s why FastClick.js has become obsolete:

  1. Native Browser Improvements: Major browsers like Chrome, Safari, and Firefox have implemented their own solutions to remove the 300ms delay, making third-party libraries like FastClick.js redundant.

  2. Touch Events API: The introduction of the Touch Events API provided developers with more control over touch interactions, allowing them to handle touch events more efficiently without the need for additional libraries.

  3. Framework Enhancements: Popular front-end frameworks and libraries, such as React and Angular, have built-in optimizations for handling touch events on mobile devices, reducing the need for FastClick.js.

  4. Performance Overhead: Using an additional library like FastClick.js introduces extra overhead, which can negatively impact the performance of web applications, especially on resource-constrained mobile devices.

Modern Alternatives to Speed Up Clicks on Mobile Web

Despite FastClick.js becoming obsolete, developers still have various strategies to ensure quick and responsive interactions on mobile web applications. Here are some modern alternatives:

  1. CSS touch-action Property: The touch-action CSS property allows developers to specify how an element can be manipulated by touch input, enabling faster and more responsive touch interactions. For example, setting touch-action: manipulation can help bypass the 300ms delay.

    button {
    touch-action: manipulation;
}

  2. Pointer Events: The Pointer Events API provides a unified way to handle input from a variety of devices, including touch, pen, and mouse. This API helps in creating responsive and consistent interactions across different devices.

    element.addEventListener('pointerdown', function(event) {
    // Handle the pointer event
});

  3. Optimized Frameworks: Leveraging modern frameworks like React, Vue, or Angular, which have built-in optimizations for handling touch events, ensures a smooth and responsive user experience without needing additional libraries.

  4. Progressive Web App (PWA) Best Practices: Following PWA best practices, such as preloading resources, optimizing images, and leveraging service workers for offline capabilities, can significantly enhance the performance and responsiveness of mobile web applications.

In conclusion, while FastClick.js played a crucial role in the past, advancements in browser technologies and modern web development practices have made it largely unnecessary. By utilizing native browser features, modern APIs, and optimized frameworks, developers can continue to create fast and responsive mobile web applications without relying on FastClick.js.