Compress WEBP

WebP is an image format developed by Google and first released in 2010. It was designed specifically for the web, offering both lossy and lossless compression in a single format. Lossy WebP uses VP8 video codec technology (predictive coding based on previously decoded blocks), while lossless WebP uses spatial prediction, color transform, and LZ77-Huffman coding. WebP also supports 8-bit alpha transparency in both modes — something JPEG cannot do. As of 2024, WebP is supported by over 97% of browsers globally.

Lossy WebP divides the image into macroblocks (up to 16x16) and applies intra-prediction (predicting pixels from neighbors within the same frame, similar to VP8 video intra-frames) followed by DCT-like transforms and arithmetic coding. This approach is 25-34% more efficient than JPEG's DCT at equivalent visual quality. Lossless WebP uses four main techniques: spatial prediction of pixels, color space transforms to decorrelate channels, backward reference search (LZ77-style), and entropy coding with an adaptive prefix code. Both modes benefit from WebP's advanced entropy coding, which outperforms JPEG's Huffman tables.

Use WebP compression for virtually all web images. It excels at photographs (replacing JPEG with 25-34% smaller files), graphics with transparency (replacing PNG with significantly smaller files), and even simple animations (replacing GIF). Compress WebP files for website assets, Progressive Web Apps, mobile applications, CDN-served content, and any context where bandwidth and load time matter. WebP is the format recommended by Google Lighthouse and PageSpeed Insights for achieving optimal Core Web Vitals scores.

For lossy WebP, quality 75-85 provides an excellent balance for photographs. For lossless WebP, use it when you need pixel-perfect graphics with transparency — it's typically 26% smaller than PNG. Always serve WebP as your primary format with JPEG/PNG fallbacks using the <picture> element or Accept header negotiation. Use lossy WebP with alpha for UI elements that need transparency over photographs. Consider WebP animation as a lightweight alternative to GIF, achieving 50-80% smaller files at equivalent frame quality.