

Tell HN: If you use Google Web Fonts your site loads much slower in China - ecubed

We all know that Google is blocked in China, but I think it is known to a lesser extent that fonts.googleapis.com is also blocked. As a result, any site relying on Google to serve fonts will appear to load much slower than it should.<p>StackOverflow is a prime example of a site that should not need a VPN to access from China, but in its current state requires one due to the reliance on Google to serve fonts.<p>So if you&#x27;re looking to include the Chinese or China&#x27;s expatriate population in your potential customer base, please consider the implications of reliance on Google services.
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zhte415
Yes, yes, yes. Not only Google Fonts, and not only China.

Jurisdictions

Anywhere where internet filtering is done leads to the risk that non-self-
hosting (i.e. giving responsibility for delivery to a 3rd party) leads to a
denial or degradation of service. This might even be somewhere in your
neighborhood.

3rd parties:

Avoid CDNs (or run your own CDN) unless you only care about delivery to where
you are/where places similar to you are.

Fonts: Self-host, or just use a stack of commonly installed fonts.

Analytics: Google Analytics is useless when Google is disrupted. Got visitors
from China/other? Your analytics don't show them. Use something like Piwik
that can be self hosted [and leave you in control of your data].

Media: Link to a picture or video? Self host, again. Multiple media hosts are
blocked across multiple jurisdictions.

Anything else: Self-host if you care about delivery. Use 3rd parties when
you're happy to not have delivery happen in cases that are felt not important
enough to care about.

