Assessment of content delivery services using performance measurements from within an end user client application
A system for measuring and monitoring performance of online content is provided. In one embodiment, the system includes an intermediary device, such as a web proxy, that receives client requests for content, such as requests for web pages. The device obtains the requested content, modifies it by applying one or more performance optimizations, and serves it to the client. The device also inserts code into the content for execution by the client to gather and report data reflecting, e.g., how quickly the client is able to get and process the content. The code includes information identifying the modifications the device made, and this is reported with the timing data, so that the effect on performance can be analyzed. In other embodiments, the device selects one of multiple versions of content, and the inserted code contains information identifying the selected version. The foregoing are merely examples; other embodiments are described herein.
1. Computer apparatus, comprising:
A. a network interface for receiving requests for markup language files from clients over a network;
B. circuitry forming one or more processors and memory holding instructions to be executed by the one or more processors to cause the computer apparatus to respond to the requests by:
i. for a first set of client requests for a first markup language file:
a) obtaining the first markup language file from any of a source computer and a local cache that stores a copy of the first markup language file previously obtained from the source computer;
b) for only a first proportion of the first set of client requests, inserting code into the first markup language file for execution by the client when processing the first markup language file, wherein execution of the code will cause the client to gather timing information about the client's processing of the first markup language file and transmit the timing information over the network to any of the computer apparatus and another computer; and,
c) sending the first markup language file with the inserted code to the client;
ii. for a second set of client requests for a second markup language file:
a) obtaining the second markup language file from any of the source computer and a local cache that stores a copy of the second markup language file previously obtained from the source computer;
b) for only a second proportion of the second set of client requests, inserting code into the second markup language file for execution by the client when processing the second markup language file, wherein execution of the code will cause the client to gather timing information about the client's processing of the second markup language file and transmit the timing information over the network to any of the computer apparatus and another computer; and,
c) sending the second markup language file with the inserted code to the client;
C. wherein the first set of requests corresponds to requests falling within a traffic category specified by a provider of the first and second markup language files, and the second set of requests corresponds to requests falling outside of the traffic category;
D. wherein the traffic category is defined by whether the computer apparatus is applying a particular web content optimization to a requested markup language file after obtaining the requested markup language file from the source computer, the particular web content optimization being distinct from the insertion of code into the requested markup language file and comprising a performance-enhancing modification to the requested markup language file made by the computer apparatus.
2. The computer apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the first proportion is higher than the second proportion.
3. The computer apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the traffic category further corresponds to any of: client requests from particular geographies, client requests from clients running particular client applications, client requests from clients running particular client browsers.