Optimizing Performance in Fabric.js 5: 14 Best Practices and Tips

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Fabric.js is a powerful library for Canvas interactions and rendering. To optimize its performance, you can employ the following techniques: Utilize renderOnAddRemove: Set the renderOnAddRemove property to false when initializing the canvas to prevent the entire canvas from being rerendered when objects are added or removed. Use enlivenObjects instead of loadFromJSON: Instead of using loadFromJSON, use enlivenObjects to manually add serialized JSON objects to the canvas, giving you more control over rendering and additional operations after loading. Optimize by excluding non-interactive shapes: Convert non-interactive layers into image representations to reduce the workload on Fabric.js. Render those layers as images and overlay the canvas on top. Utilize fabric.StaticCanvas: If interactivity is not needed, use fabric.StaticCanvas instead of fabric.Canvas to avoid rendering controls, borders, and corner detection. Fine-tune object properties: Adjust object properties like selection, controls, borders, rotating points, and canvas selection to optimize performance. Enable object caching: Take advantage of automatic object caching in Fabric.js to improve performance for complex objects or large SVGs. Customize caching behavior using properties like objectCaching, statefulCache, noScaleCache, dirty, and needsItsOwnCache. Use requestAnimationFrame: Use requestAnimationFrame to update the canvas for smooth and efficient animation. Minimize redraws: Use the dirty property to track changes and selectively render only the objects that need updating. Use object grouping: Group objects together using fabric.Group to reduce the number of individual objects that need rendering and updating. Limit object complexity: Simplify or optimize complex objects with a large number of points, paths, or patterns to improve performance. Use event delegation for interactivity: Attach a single event listener to the canvas and utilize event delegation to handle events for multiple objects efficiently. Optimize rendering performance with fabric.util.requestRenderAll(): Use this utility function to batch rendering calls when making multiple changes to the canvas. Optimize image loading with lazy loading: Implement lazy loading techniques to load images only when needed, reducing initial load time. Dispose of unused objects and canvases: Properly remove objects from the canvas and dispose of unused canvases to free up memory and improve performance. By applying these techniques, you can optimize the performance of Fabric.js and enhance the user experience in your applications.