webp

WebP is an image format developed by Google for the web. Announced in 2010, it aims to provide smaller file sizes and faster loading times without sacrificing image quality, compared with older formats such as JPEG and PNG.

WebP supports both lossy and lossless compression, as well as an alpha channel for transparency. It also supports animation (WebP animation) and can embed metadata such as Exif, XMP, and color profiles. The file extension is .webp and the MIME type is image/webp.

Lossy WebP compression uses techniques derived from the VP8 video codec, while lossless WebP relies on a different predictor and entropy coding scheme to achieve high compression. WebP images are often smaller than equivalent JPEG or PNG files, especially for photographic content.

Browser support is widespread among major browsers, including Chrome, Firefox, Edge, and Opera. Safari added WebP support in recent versions, making WebP usable on most platforms. Many content delivery networks and image processing tools also support WebP.

WebP has been promoted as a primary web image format to improve page performance. For optimal results, publishers may convert images to WebP where supported, while providing fallback formats for older clients. A newer iteration, WebP 2, is under development to improve compression further.