“Hyperfine” is a command-line benchmarking tool designed to measure the execution time of command-line utilities, scripts, or any other executable program. It provides users with accurate and reliable timing information, allowing them to assess the performance of commands and compare different implementations or optimizations. Here are some key features and aspects of Hyperfine:
- Simple Command-Line Interface: Hyperfine is operated entirely through the command line, making it easy to use and integrate into scripts or automated workflows. Users specify the command or commands to be benchmarked along with any desired options or arguments.
- Accurate Timing: Hyperfine accurately measures the execution time of commands by running them multiple times and calculating statistics such as the median, average, minimum, and maximum execution times. This ensures reliable benchmarking results and helps users identify outliers or variations in performance.
- Support for Multiple Commands: Hyperfine allows users to benchmark multiple commands simultaneously, making it easy to compare the performance of different implementations or variations. Users can specify multiple commands separated by semicolons or use shell syntax to execute complex command sequences.
- Warmup Runs: Hyperfine performs warmup runs before the actual benchmarking to ensure that commands are fully initialized and optimized before timing starts. This helps eliminate startup overhead and provides more accurate timing results.
- Output Formatting: Hyperfine provides options for customizing the output format and content of benchmarking results. Users can choose between a concise summary output or a detailed report that includes individual timing measurements for each run.
- Integration with Shell Scripts: Hyperfine can be integrated into shell scripts or automation pipelines to automate benchmarking tasks. This allows developers and system administrators to incorporate performance testing into their development and deployment workflows.
- Cross-Platform Compatibility: Hyperfine is compatible with various operating systems, including Linux, macOS, and Windows. This ensures that users can utilize the tool regardless of their preferred platform.
- Open Source: Hyperfine is an open-source project hosted on GitHub, allowing users to view the source code, contribute improvements, report issues, and provide feedback. The open development model fosters community collaboration and ensures continuous improvement of the tool.
hyperfine Command Examples
1. Run a basic benchmark, performing at least 10 runs:
# hyperfine '[make]'
2. Run a comparative benchmark:
# hyperfine '[make target1]' '[make target2]'
3. Change minimum number of benchmarking runs:
# hyperfine --min-runs [7] '[make]'
4. Perform benchmark with warmup:
# hyperfine --warmup [5] '[make]'
5. Run a command before each benchmark run (to clear caches, etc.):
# hyperfine --prepare '[make clean]' '[make]'
6. Run a benchmark where a single parameter changes for each run:
# hyperfine --prepare '[make clean]' --parameter-scan [num_threads] [1] [10] '[make -j {num_threads]}' Summary
Overall, Hyperfine is a valuable tool for developers, system administrators, and anyone else who needs to measure the performance of command-line utilities or scripts. Its simplicity, accuracy, and flexibility make it a versatile solution for benchmarking and performance testing in a wide range of scenarios.