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benchmark 1

Run benchmarks to measure and compare performance of code implementations.

Claude Code Knowledge Pack7/10/2026

Overview

Run benchmarks to measure and compare performance of code implementations.

Steps

  1. Identify the target for benchmarking:
    • A specific function or module.
    • Two implementations to compare (before/after refactor).
    • An API endpoint under load.
  2. Set up the benchmark:
    • Detect the runtime and available benchmarking tools.
    • Node.js: Use vitest bench or custom benchmark harness.
    • Python: Use pytest-benchmark or timeit.
    • Go: Use testing.B built-in benchmarks.
    • Rust: Use criterion or built-in #[bench].
  3. Configure benchmark parameters:
    • Warm-up iterations to stabilize JIT and caches.
    • Measurement iterations (minimum 100 for statistical significance).
    • Input data size variations (small, medium, large).
  4. Run benchmarks and collect results:
    • Operations per second.
    • Average time per operation.
    • Memory allocation per operation.
    • P50, P95, P99 latencies.
  5. If comparing implementations, calculate relative performance difference.
  6. Generate a summary with statistical confidence.

Format

Benchmark: <name>
Iterations: 

| Implementation | ops/sec | avg (ms) | P99 (ms) | mem (MB) |
|---------------|---------|----------|----------|----------|
| Original      | 10,000  | 0.10     | 0.25     | 2.1      |
| Optimized     | 25,000  | 0.04     | 0.08     | 1.8      |

Improvement: 2.5x faster, 14% less memory
Confidence: 95% (p < 0.05)

Rules

  • Always include warm-up iterations before measurement.
  • Run enough iterations for statistically significant results.
  • Report standard deviation alongside averages.
  • Benchmark on consistent hardware; note the environment.
  • Disable garbage collection pauses during benchmarks where possible.