Environment.GetFolderPath performance improvement on .NET 8 v .NET 7
Date Added (UTC):
07 Apr 2024 @ 21:34
Date Updated (UTC):07 Apr 2024 @ 21:34
.NET Version(s): Tag(s):
Added By:
.NET Developer and tech lead from Ireland!
Benchmark Results:
Benchmark Code:
using BenchmarkDotNet.Attributes;
using System;
using BenchmarkDotNet.Columns;
using BenchmarkDotNet.Configs;
using BenchmarkDotNet.Environments;
using BenchmarkDotNet.Jobs;
using BenchmarkDotNet.Reports;
[Config(typeof(Config))]
[HideColumns(Column.Job, Column.RatioSD, Column.AllocRatio)]
[MemoryDiagnoser]
public class GetFolderPath
{
[HideColumns("Error", "StdDev", "Median", "RatioSD")]
[MemoryDiagnoser(displayGenColumns: false)]
public class Tests
{
[Benchmark]
public string GetFolderPath() => Environment.GetFolderPath(Environment.SpecialFolder.System);
}
private class Config : ManualConfig
{
public Config()
{
AddJob(Job.Default.WithId(".NET 7").WithRuntime(CoreRuntime.Core70).AsBaseline());
AddJob(Job.Default.WithId(".NET 8").WithRuntime(CoreRuntime.Core80));
SummaryStyle =
SummaryStyle.Default.WithRatioStyle(RatioStyle.Percentage);
}
}
}
Powered by SharpLab
// .NET 7, .NET 8
public string GetFolderPath()
{
return Environment.GetFolderPath(Environment.SpecialFolder.System);
}
Powered by SharpLab
// .NET 7
.method public hidebysig
instance string GetFolderPath () cil managed
{
.custom instance void System.Runtime.CompilerServices.NullableContextAttribute::.ctor(uint8) = (
01 00 01 00 00
)
.custom instance void [BenchmarkDotNet.Annotations]BenchmarkDotNet.Attributes.BenchmarkAttribute::.ctor(int32, string) = (
01 00 1d 00 00 00 01 5f 00 00
)
// Method begins at RVA 0x2096
// Code size 8 (0x8)
.maxstack 8
// sequence point: (line 30, col 42) to (line 30, col 101) in _
IL_0000: ldc.i4.s 37
IL_0002: call string [System.Runtime]System.Environment::GetFolderPath(valuetype [System.Runtime]System.Environment/SpecialFolder)
IL_0007: ret
}
// .NET 8
.method public hidebysig
instance string GetFolderPath () cil managed
{
.custom instance void [System.Runtime]System.Runtime.CompilerServices.NullableContextAttribute::.ctor(uint8) = (
01 00 01 00 00
)
.custom instance void [BenchmarkDotNet.Annotations]BenchmarkDotNet.Attributes.BenchmarkAttribute::.ctor(int32, string) = (
01 00 1d 00 00 00 01 5f 00 00
)
// Method begins at RVA 0x2058
// Code size 8 (0x8)
.maxstack 8
// sequence point: (line 30, col 42) to (line 30, col 101) in _
IL_0000: ldc.i4.s 37
IL_0002: call string [System.Runtime]System.Environment::GetFolderPath(valuetype [System.Runtime]System.Environment/SpecialFolder)
IL_0007: ret
}
Powered by SharpLab
|
|
Benchmark Description:
The provided benchmark setup is designed to measure the performance of the `Environment.GetFolderPath` method in .NET, specifically how it performs across different .NET versions. This benchmark setup uses the BenchmarkDotNet library, a powerful tool for benchmarking .NET code, to provide detailed insights into the performance characteristics of the method being tested. Below is an overview of the general setup and the specific rationale behind the benchmark method.
### General Setup Overview
- **.NET Versions**: The benchmark is configured to test against two different .NET versions, .NET 7 and .NET 8. This is achieved by defining two jobs in the `Config` class, one for each .NET version, with `.NET 7` being set as the baseline for comparison. This allows for performance comparisons between these two versions.
- **Configuration**: The benchmark class is decorated with the `[Config(typeof(Config))]` attribute, which specifies that the `Config` class should be used for configuring the benchmark. The `Config` class extends `ManualConfig` and adds two jobs for .NET 7 and .NET 8, and customizes the summary style.
- **Memory Diagnostics**: The `[MemoryDiagnoser]` attribute is applied to the benchmark class, enabling memory diagnostics to measure memory allocations. However, for the `Tests` class, the display of garbage collection generation columns is disabled (`displayGenColumns: false`).
- **Column Hiding**: The benchmark setup uses `[HideColumns]` attributes to hide specific columns in the benchmark output, such as job information, standard deviation, median, and allocation ratio, to focus on the most relevant data.
### Benchmark Method Rationale
#### `GetFolderPath`
- **Purpose**: This benchmark method measures the performance of retrieving the system folder path using `Environment.GetFolderPath(Environment.SpecialFolder.System)`. This is a common operation that might be used in applications to access system-specific directories.
- **Performance Aspect**: The method is designed to test the execution speed and memory allocations of the `GetFolderPath` method across different .NET versions. This can provide insights into how performance optimizations in newer .NET versions affect common I/O operations.
- **What It Measures**: The benchmark measures the time it takes to execute the `GetFolderPath` method and the amount of memory allocated during its execution. These metrics are crucial for understanding the efficiency of accessing system folder paths in .NET applications.
- **Importance**: Understanding the performance of file system operations is important for applications that frequently interact with the file system. It helps in identifying potential bottlenecks and areas where performance improvements can be made.
- **Expected Results/Insights**: From running this benchmark, one should expect to see how the performance of `GetFolderPath` varies between .NET 7 and .NET 8. Ideally, newer .NET versions would show improvements in execution speed and/or reduced memory allocations, indicating performance optimizations in the framework. However, the actual results can vary based on the specific changes and optimizations made in each .NET version.
In summary, this benchmark setup and method provide valuable insights into the performance characteristics of the `Environment.GetFolderPath` method across different .NET versions, focusing on execution speed and memory usage. This information can be crucial for developers aiming to optimize their applications for the best possible performance on the .NET platform.