# Critters

Node.js plugin that inlines the critical CSS of an app's HTML and lazy-loads the rest of its stylesheets, without a headless browser.


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

## Record

### Links

- repository: https://github.com/GoogleChromeLabs/critters

### Identity

- status: discontinued
- maintainer: The Chromium Authors
- maintainerType: community
- parent: unknown
- firstRelease: 2018
- hqCountry: unknown

### Kind

- category: build-tool
- hosting: not applicable
- language: javascript
- runtime: unknown
- runtimeMin: not applicable
- 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 i -D critters

### License

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

### Releases

- currentMajor: 0
- latestReleaseDate: 2024-10-10

### Adoption

- githubStargazers: 3427
- packagistDownloads: not applicable
- npmWeeklyDownloads: 1631263
- contributors: 19
- pluginCount: unknown
- packagistMonthlyDownloads: unknown
- ecosystemsMonthlyDownloads: unknown
- httpArchiveSites: unknown
- wordpressActiveInstalls: unknown
- dependentRepos: 184473
- dependentPackages: 90

### Sources

- status: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/GoogleChromeLabs/critters/main/packages/critters/README.md (read 2026-10-28)
- status: https://api.github.com/repos/GoogleChromeLabs/critters (read 2026-10-28)
- status: https://registry.npmjs.org/critters/0.0.25 (read 2026-10-28)
- urls: https://api.github.com/repos/GoogleChromeLabs/critters (read 2026-10-28)
- maintainer: https://registry.npmjs.org/critters/0.0.25 (read 2026-10-28)
- language: https://api.github.com/repos/GoogleChromeLabs/critters (read 2026-10-28)
- category: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/GoogleChromeLabs/critters/main/packages/critters/README.md (read 2026-10-28)
- runsAs: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/GoogleChromeLabs/critters/main/packages/critters/README.md (read 2026-10-28)
- installMethod: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/GoogleChromeLabs/critters/main/packages/critters/README.md (read 2026-10-28)
- installMethod: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/GoogleChromeLabs/critters/main/packages/critters/README.md (read 2026-10-28)
- license: https://api.github.com/repos/GoogleChromeLabs/critters (read 2026-10-28)
- licenseModel: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/GoogleChromeLabs/critters/main/LICENSE (read 2026-10-28)
- firstRelease: https://registry.npmjs.org/critters (read 2026-10-28)
- currentMajor: https://api.github.com/repos/GoogleChromeLabs/critters/releases (read 2026-10-28)
- latestReleaseDate: https://registry.npmjs.org/critters/0.0.25 (read 2026-10-28)
- githubStargazers: https://api.github.com/repos/GoogleChromeLabs/critters (read 2026-10-28)
- contributors: https://api.github.com/repos/GoogleChromeLabs/critters/contributors?per_page=1 (read 2026-10-28)
- npmWeeklyDownloads: https://api.npmjs.org/downloads/range/2026-09-28:2026-10-04/critters (read 2026-10-28)
- dependentPackages: https://packages.ecosyste.ms/api/v1/registries/npmjs.org/packages/critters (read 2026-10-28)
- dependentRepos: https://packages.ecosyste.ms/api/v1/registries/npmjs.org/packages/critters (read 2026-10-28)

## Notes

Critters is an npm package that inlines an app's critical CSS and lazy-loads the rest of its stylesheets. It is installed as a development dependency. It does not render pages in a headless browser, and the repository also holds a webpack plugin, critters-webpack-plugin, as a separate package.

## Worth knowing

The project has ended. The repository is archived, the README says it "won't receive any future updates", and npm marks the latest version as deprecated. The README points anyone who wants to keep using Critters to the [Beasties fork](https://github.com/danielroe/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