What is a downside of using the Portable Network Graphics (PNG) format?

The downside of using the Portable Network Graphics (PNG) format primarily revolves around its larger file sizes. PNG is a lossless image format, which means that it retains all the image data without compression artifacts. This quality comes at the cost of increased file sizes compared to other formats like JPEG, which uses lossy compression to achieve smaller files.

The implications of larger file sizes are significant, particularly for web use. Larger images can slow down website load times, which affects user experience and may impact search engine ranking. Additionally, excessive file sizes can consume more bandwidth, which is a critical consideration for users with limited internet connectivity.

While PNG does support transparency and is commonly compatible with modern browsers, the potential performance issues associated with larger files are an important downside to be aware of when choosing an image format for web development.