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Assuming I have a page with several subpages which do not share the same scripts, what is the best policy concerning server load and performance?

Right now I have included all javascript files/plugins in all pages. But for example, subpage1 is the only one using GoogleMaps API, subpage2 is the only one using a lightbox plugin, etc.

My page can be crowded sometimes so I want to minimize server load where ever possible. So, what's best? Does it even matter?

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    Why not including the general assets in your layout/main page markup and specific assets in their own pages markup (the sub-pages you've mentioned). Commented Aug 3, 2013 at 16:09
  • The exact same question has been asked on SO before, but I can't find it at the moment Commented Aug 3, 2013 at 16:16
  • I thought so but I couldn't find other questions about it... ;) Commented Aug 3, 2013 at 20:57

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Consider moving static content off your servers.

For public JS files like jquery, I would simply link to the public sites so that Google or whoever serves them. That will keep load off your servers, plus their CDN has a chance to serve the files from a site close to the client, making loading faster.

Another option is to host your static content like JS/CSS/PNG in AWS S3.

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So do you suggest the following: use Google servers where possible; and only add the javascript files which are needed for each page/template?
Basically, yes. Anything publicly sourced (like jquery), I would reference from Google CDN. I would minify where possible, ensure that JS files were cacheable by the client, measure the actual performance to identify slow parts, limit JS inclusion to what was necessary on a page. Some more ideas here: developer.yahoo.com/performance/rules.html and here: developers.google.com/speed
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Your index.html should probably look something like this:

<!--#include virtual="header.html" -->
<!--#include virtual="main.html" -->
<!--#include virtual="footer.html" -->

Where all your necessary assets are in the header.html file and as-needed assets are in the main.html file(s).

(Of course, you could use the PHP or Javascript / jQuery version just as easily.)

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It depends on your server configuration, actually.

If it allows status 304 as response, that wouldn't be much of a bother, since the content isn't sent back.

If the server doesn't even send some headers like Cache-Control: must-revalidate, some browsers can even avoid the request altogether.

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