# critical

Node.js module and CLI that extracts the above-the-fold CSS from HTML pages, inlines it and defers the rest of the stylesheets.


Source: https://findsoftware.frbit.cloud/critical/
Last reviewed: 2026-10-28
Listed since: 2026-10-28

## Record

### Links

- repository: https://github.com/addyosmani/critical
- docs: https://github.com/addyosmani/critical/blob/master/README.md

### Identity

- status: active
- maintainer: Ben Zörb
- maintainerType: individual
- parent: unknown
- firstRelease: 2014
- hqCountry: unknown

### Kind

- category: build-tool
- hosting: not applicable
- language: javascript
- runtime: node
- runtimeMin: node 22
- basedOn: unknown

### Content

- contentStore: not applicable
- databases: not applicable
- adminUi: not applicable
- headlessApi: not applicable
- templating: not applicable
- i18n: not applicable

### Rendering and deploy

- runsAs: local
- renderingModes: not applicable
- installMethod: npm

### License

- licenseModel: open-source
- license: Apache-2.0

### Releases

- currentMajor: 9
- latestReleaseDate: 2026-09-13

### Adoption

- githubStargazers: 10297
- packagistDownloads: not applicable
- npmWeeklyDownloads: 32152
- contributors: 37
- pluginCount: unknown
- packagistMonthlyDownloads: unknown
- ecosystemsMonthlyDownloads: unknown
- httpArchiveSites: unknown
- wordpressActiveInstalls: unknown
- dependentRepos: 1741
- dependentPackages: 117

### Sources

- name: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/addyosmani/critical/master/README.md (read 2026-10-28)
- urls: https://api.github.com/repos/addyosmani/critical (read 2026-10-28)
- urls: https://github.com/addyosmani/critical/blob/master/README.md (read 2026-10-28)
- maintainer: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/addyosmani/critical/master/README.md (read 2026-10-28)
- maintainerType: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/addyosmani/critical/master/README.md (read 2026-10-28)
- firstRelease: https://registry.npmjs.org/critical (read 2026-10-28)
- category: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/addyosmani/critical/master/README.md (read 2026-10-28)
- language: https://api.github.com/repos/addyosmani/critical (read 2026-10-28)
- runtime: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/addyosmani/critical/master/README.md (read 2026-10-28)
- runtimeMin: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/addyosmani/critical/v9.0.0/package.json (read 2026-10-28)
- installMethod: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/addyosmani/critical/master/README.md (read 2026-10-28)
- runsAs: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/addyosmani/critical/master/README.md (read 2026-10-28)
- license: https://api.github.com/repos/addyosmani/critical (read 2026-10-28)
- license: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/addyosmani/critical/master/license (read 2026-10-28)
- licenseModel: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/addyosmani/critical/master/license (read 2026-10-28)
- currentMajor: https://api.github.com/repos/addyosmani/critical/releases (read 2026-10-28)
- latestReleaseDate: https://api.github.com/repos/addyosmani/critical/releases (read 2026-10-28)
- githubStargazers: https://api.github.com/repos/addyosmani/critical (read 2026-10-28)
- contributors: https://api.github.com/repos/addyosmani/critical/contributors (read 2026-10-28)
- npmWeeklyDownloads: https://api.npmjs.org/downloads/range/2026-09-28:2026-10-04/critical (read 2026-10-28)
- dependentPackages: https://packages.ecosyste.ms/api/v1/registries/npmjs.org/packages/critical (read 2026-10-28)
- dependentRepos: https://packages.ecosyste.ms/api/v1/registries/npmjs.org/packages/critical (read 2026-10-28)

## Notes

critical extracts the critical-path CSS from HTML pages, inlines it in the head and defers the remaining stylesheets, so the first screen can paint without waiting for a full stylesheet. It is a Node.js module with a command-line interface, installed from npm as a development dependency. The [README](https://github.com/addyosmani/critical/blob/master/README.md) includes a recipe for running it in CI against a build directory.

The README lists Ben Zörb as primary maintainer and Addy Osmani as creator, and points to a separate comparison document that covers Beasties.

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Data licensed CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Attributes are recorded, never scored; absent means unknown.
Credit, in full: FindSoftware, CC BY 4.0