P99 0 ms* autocomplete for 240M domain names
The author explains how they achieved near-zero latency autocomplete for a domain name inspection tool by optimizing key-press event handling and prefetching data. By timing API requests to coincide with user input, the system provides instantaneous results.
Why it matters
This demonstrates practical, high-performance web engineering techniques that improve user experience in data-heavy applications.
I run Wirewiki.com , a website to inspect internet infrastructure like domain names. It helps people check (historic) DNS records, DNS delegation, email deliverability config, etc.
There are a ton of sites that offer this (growing faster than ever thanks to vibe coding), so I need a way to stand out. I picked tool quality / usefulness and UX.
The autocomplete is the main way to navigate Wirewiki, so it should be as complete, accurate and fast as possible. I want it to be instant . Like, next frame instant.
I've mostly achieved that. Try for yourself:
DNS root Your IP Tab Cycle tabs Navigate Open Here's how.
On keyDown (the user starts pressing a key), we prefetch the suggestions for the typed character + any next character. And on keyUp (the user releases the key), we render the suggestions.
Get smarter about the news
Sign up free for a feed built around what you actually care about, Dive Deeper research on any story, and the full text of every article.
Create free accountAlready have an account? Sign in