Brotli Checker

In the relentless pursuit of website speed, every single byte matters. For years, Gzip has been the standard for compressing web assets, but a newer, more powerful technology now leads the way: Brotli. Our Brotli Checker is a simple yet vital tool that allows you to instantly determine if a web server is using this cutting-edge compression algorithm.

This is an essential utility for performance-focused developers, SEOs, and website owners. Verifying that your site uses Brotli is a key indicator that it is optimized for the best possible speed and user experience in the modern web.

What is Brotli Compression?

Brotli is a modern, open-source data compression algorithm developed by Google. Its primary purpose on the web is to compress text-based assets—such as HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and SVG files—before they are sent from the server to your browser. The browser then decompresses them instantly. The result is a much smaller file to download, which means a much faster website.

Why is Brotli Better Than Gzip?

While Gzip has been the reliable workhorse for web compression for years, Brotli is a significant step forward. It uses a more advanced compression technique that includes a pre-defined, static dictionary of over 13,000 common words, strings, and code fragments. This gives it a head start in finding and replacing repeating data more efficiently than Gzip.

The result? On average, Brotli-compressed files are:

• 14% smaller than Gzip for JavaScript files.
• 21% smaller than Gzip for HTML files.
• 17% smaller than Gzip for CSS files.

This consistent advantage in compression ratio makes it the superior choice for modern web performance.

The Benefits: Why Brotli Support is Crucial for Your Website

Enabling Brotli is one of the most impactful server-side optimizations you can make, with direct benefits for your speed, SEO, and user experience.

Significantly Faster Page Load Times 🚀

This is the ultimate goal. Smaller files mean less data to transfer over the network, which directly translates to faster download times. A faster download means your browser can start parsing and rendering the page sooner, which is especially noticeable in metrics like First Contentful Paint (FCP).

Improved SEO and Core Web Vitals 📈

Website speed is a confirmed, major ranking factor for Google. By implementing a superior compression method like Brotli, you are directly improving your site's performance. This leads to better scores in Google PageSpeed Insights and a healthier profile for your Core Web Vitals, sending a strong positive signal to search engines.

Better User Experience (Especially on Mobile) 📱

The performance gains from Brotli are most significant for users on slower or less reliable mobile networks. For these users, saving 20% on a JavaScript file's size can make a noticeable difference in how quickly the page becomes interactive, reducing frustration and lowering bounce rates.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) about Brotli Compression

How can I enable Brotli on my website?

Brotli is a server-side setting. Most modern web hosting providers and almost all major Content Delivery Networks (CDNs) like Cloudflare, Google Cloud, and AWS now support Brotli and often have a simple toggle switch in their settings to enable it. If our tool shows your site doesn't support Brotli, your first step should be to check your hosting control panel or contact your hosting provider's support.

Is Brotli supported by all browsers?

Yes, Brotli is now supported by all major modern browsers, including Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and Edge. It is a safe technology to enable. Web servers are configured to check if a browser supports Brotli. If it does, the server sends the Brotli-compressed file. If it doesn't, the server automatically falls back to sending a Gzip-compressed file, ensuring universal compatibility.

Does Brotli replace the need to minify my CSS and JavaScript?

No. Minification (removing unnecessary characters like spaces and comments from code) and compression (like Brotli) are two different steps that work together. You should always minify your assets first, and then your server will apply Brotli compression to the already-minified file for the maximum possible size reduction.