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X says its updated web app is way faster

Software1 min read

X is rolling out a new version of its web app that it says loads much faster. The update is reaching signed-in users one country at a time.

What happened

X is launching an updated version of its website app. Engineers say it is much faster than the old one. The company is releasing it slowly, one country at a time, for people who are logged in. Yagiz Nizipli, a principal engineer at X, described the change in a blog post.

Key numbers

  • On a slow internet connection, the old app took more than 22 seconds before the first post on a profile appeared.
  • On the new app, the first post shows up in 2.7 seconds.
  • The new setup replaces three servers with one. Those three servers handled regular users, search crawlers (programs that search engines use to scan web pages), and link previews.

Background

A web app runs in your browser instead of as a program you install. When it is slow, people wait staring at a logo before content appears. X says the new version fixes this. The new app is already live for people who are not logged in and for pages that search engines scan.

Why it matters

Speed affects how people feel about an app. If pages load faster, people may stay longer and see more posts. Security researcher Jane Manchun Wong, who tested the updated app, said it "feels snappy, loads fast and many parts are polished." Her view is one outside opinion, not an official test.

What to watch

  • Whether the rollout reaches more countries and all signed-in users.
  • Whether users report the same speed gains in everyday use.
  • Whether X shares more details about the change to its three-to-one server setup.

Glossary

X
A social media service where people post short messages and follow other accounts.
web app
A program that runs inside a web browser instead of being installed on a device.
search crawlers
Automatic programs that search engines use to read and index web pages.
principal engineer
A senior technical job at a company that leads major engineering work.

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