Overview
WebP is an image format designed specifically for the web. It offers significantly smaller file sizes compared to JPEG and PNG while maintaining comparable visual quality. It supports both lossy and lossless compression, as well as transparency (alpha channel) and animation.
Benefits
- Smaller File Sizes: WebP lossy images are typically 25-34% smaller than comparable JPEG images.
- Transparency Support: Unlike JPEG, WebP supports transparent backgrounds, making it a viable replacement for PNG.
- Widespread Support: Supported by all modern browsers, including Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and Edge.
Usage
Developers often use the <picture> element to serve WebP images to supporting browsers while providing a JPEG or PNG fallback for older environments.