CSS Sprites are a method to improve page load time performance by combining multiple images into a single file. Instead of the server having to send multiple images for each request, images can be combined and then by setting the width and height, you can display the actual image you want. This method is typically used for smaller images, such as icons or other smaller image elements. Obviously, the more requests that are made to the web server, the longer it takes to download and render. The easiest way to avoid all of this is for your pages to go completely image-free, but we all know that is just not possible.
CSS sprites are a great way to reduce the number of requests, especially if your site incorporates a lot of smaller images and icons. There are many free tools that web developers can utilize to combine images into a CSS sprite, as well as provide the correct HTML and CSS code. Using CSS sprites is just one of the many optimization techniques used for images. Other techniques include properly sizing images, compressing images, and choosing the right image type which we will touch on later in this guide.
