Autoload vs. Load — What's the Difference?

Automatically loads classes or files in a program.

Involves explicitly importing or opening resources into a program.

Reduces the need for explicit include or require statements.

Critical for accessing data, libraries, or modules.

Supports the organization and management of large codebases.

Affects application performance based on usage.

Facilitates the implementation of the lazy loading pattern.

Offers precise control over resource management.

Language-specific feature that simplifies development.

Can be used across various programming languages.

In computer programming, autoloading is the capability of loading and linking portions of a program from mass storage automatically when needed, so that the programmer is not required to define or include those portions of the program explicitly. Many high-level programming languages include autoload capabilities, which sacrifice some run-time speed for ease of coding and speed of initial compilation/linking.

A heavy or bulky thing that is being carried or is about to be carried

(computing) To load automatically.

A weight or source of pressure borne by someone or something

A lot of

The amount of power supplied by a source; the resistance of moving parts to be overcome by a motor

Fill (a vehicle, ship, container, etc.) with a large amount of something

Make (someone or something) carry or hold a large or excessive quantity of heavy things

Charge (a firearm) with ammunition

Add an extra charge to (an insurance premium) to take account of a factor that increases the risk.

A weight or mass that is supported

The overall force to which a structure is subjected in supporting a weight or mass or in resisting externally applied forces.

Something that is carried, as by a vehicle, person, or animal

The quantity that is or can be carried at one time.

The share of work allocated to or required of a person, machine, group, or organization.

The demand for services or performance made on a machine or system.

The amount of material that can be inserted into a device or machine at one time

A single charge of ammunition for a firearm.

Vulgar Slang An ejaculation of semen.

A mental weight or burden

A responsibility regarded as oppressive.

The external mechanical resistance against which a machine acts.

The power output of a generator or power plant.

A device or the resistance of a device to which power is delivered.

A fee that a mutual fund charges to an investor when the investor purchases or redeems shares in the fund.

Often loads(Informal) A great number or amount

Derogatory Slang A heavy or overweight person.

Genetic load.

To put (something) into or onto a structure or conveyance

To put something into or onto (a structure or conveyance)

To provide or fill nearly to overflowing; heap

To give worries or difficulties to; weigh down; burden

To insert (a necessary material) into a device

To insert a necessary material into

(Games) To make (dice) heavier on one side by adding weight.

To charge with additional meanings, implications, or emotional import

To raise the power demand in (an electrical circuit), as by adding resistance.

To increase (an insurance premium or mutual fund share price) by adding expenses or sale costs.

(Baseball) To have or put runners on (first, second, and third base).

(Computers) To transfer (data) from a storage device into a computer's memory.

To receive a load

To charge a firearm with ammunition.

To put or place a load into or onto a structure, device, or conveyance.

(Computers) To be transferred from a storage device into a computer's memory.

A burden; a weight to be carried.

(figuratively) A worry or concern to be endured, especially in the phrase a load off one's mind.

A certain number of articles or quantity of material that can be transported or processed at one time.

A quantity of washing put into a washing machine for a wash cycle.

(in combination) Used to form nouns that indicate a large quantity, often corresponding to the capacity of a vehicle

A large number or amount.

The volume of work required to be performed.

(engineering) The force exerted on a structural component such as a beam, girder, cable etc.

(electrical engineering) The electrical current or power delivered by a device.

(engineering) A resistive force encountered by a prime mover when performing work.

(electrical engineering) Any component that draws current or power from an electrical circuit.

A unit of measure for various quantities.

The viral load

A very small explosive inserted as a gag into a cigarette or cigar.

The charge of powder for a firearm.

(obsolete) Weight or violence of blows.

The contents (e.g. semen) of an ejaculation.

(euphemism) Nonsense; rubbish.

(computing) The process of loading something, i.e. transferring it into memory or over a network, etc.

(Philippines) prepaid phone credit

A person that spends all day online. The term was originally used in the late 1980s to describe users on free Q-Link (later America Online) accounts who never signed off the system at great expense to the company.

(transitive) To put a load on or in (a means of conveyance or a place of storage).

(transitive) To place in or on a conveyance or a place of storage.

(intransitive) To put a load on something.

(intransitive) To receive a load.

(intransitive) To be placed into storage or conveyance.

(transitive) To fill (a firearm or artillery) with munition.

(transitive) To insert (an item or items) into an apparatus so as to ready it for operation, such as a reel of film into a camera, sheets of paper into a printer etc.

(transitive) To fill (an apparatus) with raw material.

(intransitive) To be put into use in an apparatus.

To read (data or a program) from a storage medium into computer memory.

To transfer from a storage medium into computer memory.

To put runners on first, second and third bases

(transitive) To tamper with so as to produce a biased outcome.

(transitive) To ask or adapt a question so that it will be more likely to be answered in a certain way.

(transitive) To encumber with something negative, to place as an encumbrance.

(transitive) To provide in abundance.

(transitive) To weight (a cane, whip, etc.) with lead or similar.

To adulterate or drug.

To magnetize.

(Philippines) to top up or purchase phone credits

A burden; that which is laid on or put in anything for conveyance; that which is borne or sustained; a weight; as, a heavy load.

The quantity which can be carried or drawn in some specified way; the contents of a cart, barrow, or vessel; that which will constitute a cargo; lading.

That which burdens, oppresses, or grieves the mind or spirits; as, a load of care.

A particular measure for certain articles, being as much as may be carried at one time by the conveyance commonly used for the article measured; as, a load of wood; a load of hay; specifically, five quarters.

The charge of a firearm; as, a load of powder.

Weight or violence of blows.

The work done by a steam engine or other prime mover when working.

The amount of work that a person, group, or machine is assigned to perform; as, the boss distributed the load evenly among his employees.

The device or devices that consume power from a power supply.

The weight or force that a structural support bears or is designed to bear; the object that creates that force.

To lay a load or burden on or in, as on a horse or in a cart; to charge with a load, as a gun; to furnish with a lading or cargo, as a ship; hence, to add weight to, so as to oppress or embarrass; to heap upon.

To adulterate or drug; as, to load wine.

To magnetize.

Weight to be borne or conveyed

A quantity that can be processed or transported at one time;

Goods carried by a large vehicle

An amount of alcohol sufficient to intoxicate;

The power output of a generator or power plant

An onerous or difficult concern;

A deposit of valuable ore occurring within definite boundaries separating it from surrounding rocks

The front part of a guided missile or rocket or torpedo that carries the nuclear or explosive charge or the chemical or biological agents

Electrical device to which electrical power is delivered

Fill or place a load on;

Provide with munition;

Put (something) on a structure or conveyance;

Autoload automatically loads necessary files or libraries in a program without explicit instructions.

Autoload is often used in object-oriented programming to automatically include class files.

Yes, autoload can enhance performance by loading resources only when they are actually needed.

Not all, but many object-oriented programming languages offer autoload functionality.

Loading resources is crucial for accessing and utilizing data, libraries, and modules in applications.

It allows developers to manage precisely when and how resources are loaded, optimizing performance and resource usage.

Load requires explicit instructions to bring data or modules into memory, unlike autoload which happens automatically.

Depending on how it's used, loading resources upfront can increase initial load times but may benefit later performance.

Load operations are commonly used to import libraries, modules, or data files into a program for use.

Yes, the concept of loading resources is fundamental across programming languages, though the implementation may vary.

For precise control over the loading process, especially in situations where managing resource dependencies and timing is crucial.

Autoload is primarily designed for classes and files, particularly in languages that support this feature.

Languages like PHP have built-in support for autoload functionalities.

Yes, by eliminating the need for multiple include or require statements, autoload can make codebases cleaner.

Autoload can optimize memory usage by loading resources lazily, while explicit load operations provide control over when resources consume memory.