Baseline testing establishes performance benchmarks for a fresh Velocity Stack Edition before any client content is added. These measurements serve as the reference point for ongoing optimization.
Reference Implementation: john.sisler.io
The Velocity Stack configuration has been validated on john.sisler.io, demonstrating what the optimized stack achieves. All assets are compressed, combined, and served through a 6-layer CDN caching strategy with Global DNS distribution.
| Metric | Result | Target |
|---|---|---|
| Performance Grade | A 98 | 90+ |
| Page Size | 47.2 KB | < 1 MB |
| Load Time | 51 ms | < 1000 ms |
| Requests | 7 | < 30 |
| Largest Contentful Paint (LCP) | 207 ms | < 2500 ms |
| Total Blocking Time (TBT) | 0 ms | < 200 ms |
| Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS) | 0 | < 0.1 |
Tested: January 11, 2026 via Pingdom
Performance Stack
These results are achieved through:
- CDN Layer — 6-layer caching (page, object, browser, CSS, JS, image)
- Global DNS — Anycast network for fast DNS resolution
- Server-Side Caching — Native integration between server and caching capability
- Asset optimization — CSS/JS combined and minified, images converted to WebP
- Self-hosted fonts — No external font requests
- Minimal Capabilities — Only essential capabilities, no bloat
Request Waterfall
The waterfall analysis shows all 7 requests served from a single domain with no third-party calls:
| Resource | Size | Type |
|---|---|---|
| HTML document | 15.5 KB | Document |
| Optimized CSS | 4.1 KB | CSS |
| Cache capability script | 843 B | Script |
| Site image | 3.9 KB | Image |
| Primary Typeface | 11.0 KB | Font |
| Upload assets | 3.8 KB + 8.2 KB | Media |
Content Breakdown
| Content Type | Size | Percent | Requests |
|---|---|---|---|
| HTML | 15.5 KB | 33.43% | 1 |
| Font | 11.0 KB | 23.65% | 1 |
| CSS | 4.1 KB | 8.87% | 1 |
| Image | 3.9 KB | 8.30% | 1 |
| Total | 46.4 KB | 100% | 7 |
Key observations:
- Single domain — 100% of requests served from same origin
- One font file — Self-hosted, no external font requests
- Minimal CSS — Unused CSS removed automatically
- No JavaScript bloat — Only essential cache script (843 bytes)
Testing Conditions
For consistent baseline measurements:
| Condition | Setting | Rationale |
|---|---|---|
| Cache | Warmed (CDN edge) | Measure production performance |
| Location | Consistent test server | Control for network latency |
| Tool | Pingdom Website Speed Test | Industry standard measurement |
Pre-Test Checklist
- ☐ Server-Side Caching enabled and configured
- ☐ CDN Layer domain key active
- ☐ CSS/JS optimization enabled (combine, minify, defer)
- ☐ Unused CSS removal generated
- ☐ Image optimization complete (WebP conversion)
- ☐ Global DNS active
- ☐ Cache warmed (visit site before testing)
Baseline Targets
Based on the reference implementation, Velocity Stack Editions should target:
| Metric | Minimum | Target | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Performance Grade | A (90+) | A (95+) | A 98 |
| Page Size | < 500 KB | < 100 KB | 47.2 KB |
| Load Time | < 1000 ms | < 200 ms | 51 ms |
| Requests | < 30 | < 15 | 7 |
| LCP | < 2500 ms | < 500 ms | 207 ms |
| TBT | < 200 ms | 0 ms | 0 ms |
| CLS | < 0.1 | 0 | 0 |
Common Baseline Issues
| Issue | Symptom | Resolution |
|---|---|---|
| Cache not warming | High TTFB, slow first load | Verify CDN connection, check domain key |
| Third-party requests | Extra domains in waterfall | Remove external fonts, analytics, embeds |
| Large page size | > 500 KB | Enable image optimization, unused CSS removal |
| Too many requests | > 20 requests | Enable CSS/JS combine, remove capabilities |
| Layout shift | CLS > 0 | Set image dimensions, reserve ad space |
| Render blocking | High TBT | Defer JS, async CSS loading |
Velocity Stack Edition Testing
Baseline tests for Velocity Stack Edition templates will be added as each Edition is deployed:
- Staging Edition — Pending
- Enterprise Edition Dev — Planned