I’m working on a website built with Ember.js that displays a Google Maps component. The site receives a lot of visitors throughout the day, but I’m not hitting my API quota limits yet. I want to be proactive about optimizing my API usage before it becomes a problem.
I’ve noticed that when I refresh the browser, the developer tools show that map resources are loading from disk cache, which suggests the browser is already doing some caching. However, I’m wondering if there are additional frontend techniques I can implement to minimize API requests.
What are the best practices for reducing Google Maps API calls from the client side? Are there specific caching strategies or loading optimizations that work well with Ember applications?
oh interesting! have you tried local storage for map tiles or geocoding results? what’s your current setup - maps javascript api or static maps api? how often do your map locations change? if they’re mostly static, you could cache coordinates client-side for repeat visits.
Reuse map instances across your Ember app instead of creating new ones for each component render. I made this mistake and my app was initializing maps multiple times for no reason. Store the map instance in a service and reuse it when users navigate between routes. Also, only load markers within the current map bounds and remove the ones outside the visible area. This cut down my API calls massively when working with large datasets. For geocoding, debounce your search so it waits for users to stop typing before making API calls. A 300-500ms delay prevents excessive requests while keeping the UX responsive.
i’ve had success with lazy loading too! like, only load the map when it’s in view or if a user interacts. also, try grouping nearby locations into one API call instead of separate ones for each marker. it’s really helped me reduce hits on a busy site!