How does Rust's Criterion compare to other benchmarking libraries?

How does Rust's Criterion compare to other benchmarking libraries?

Rust's Criterion is known for its statistical analysis and ease of use. It provides detailed reports and is designed to handle micro-benchmarks effectively. In contrast, other libraries like Bencher or Criterion's alternatives may lack some of these features or have different focuses.

What are the main features of Criterion?

Criterion offers features like automatic benchmarking, statistical analysis, and customizable reporting. It also supports measuring performance over time, which helps in tracking improvements or regressions.

Are there any downsides to using Criterion?

One downside is that Criterion can introduce overhead due to its statistical methods, which might not be ideal for all use cases. Additionally, it may require more setup compared to simpler libraries.

Can you give an example of a simple benchmark using Criterion?

Sure! Here's a simple example:

use criterion::{black_box, criterion_group, criterion_main, Criterion};

fn bench_example(c: &mut Criterion) {
    c.bench_function("my_function", |b| b.iter(|| black_box(my_function())));
}

criterion_group!(benches, bench_example);
criterion_main!(benches);

This benchmarks my_function and uses black_box to prevent optimizations.