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    Loading Performance · Glossary

    Time to First Byte (TTFB)

    Matt SuffolettoWritten by Matt Suffoletto
    Published June 26, 2026
    Time to First Byte
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    TL;DR

    Time to First Byte (TTFB) is the duration between the browser requesting a page and receiving the first byte of the HTML response, including DNS lookup, connection setup, server processing, and network transfer.

    What is Time to First Byte (TTFB)?

    Time to First Byte (TTFB) is the duration between the browser requesting a page and receiving the first byte of the HTML response, including DNS lookup, connection setup, server processing, and network transfer.

    Learn more in our how to improve TTFB guide, or work with us through our done-for-you speed optimization service.

    TTFB Thresholds & Benchmarks

    Metric Good Needs Improvement Poor
    TTFB ≤ 0.8 s 0.8 s, 1.8 s > 1.8 s

    How TTFB is Measured

    TTFB is reported by the Navigation Timing API and visible in PageSpeed Insights, WebPageTest, Chrome DevTools, and most real-user monitoring tools.

    Related Terms

    Sources