Identify unused preloads and wasted bandwidth
When implemented properly, rel="preload" tells the browser about critical assets discovered late in the document waterfall. However, incorrect file paths, outdated asset hashes, or responsive images loaded only on alternate breakpoints can lead to preloaded files that are never actually used by the page.
Our validator verifies whether every declared preload matches an actual network request executed during page load, flagging unused directives that waste visitor bandwidth and stall other downloads.