Benchmark: Math.max() vs Array.reduce() - Object

Script Preparation code:

var values = new Array(5000);

for (let i = 0; i < values.length; ++i) {
    values[i] = { val: i % 20 };
}

Tests:

Math.max
return Math.max(...values.map(x => x.val));
Reduce
return values.reduce((prev, curr) => { if (curr.val > prev) return curr.val; return prev; }, 0);

Rendered benchmark preparation results:

Suite status: <idle, ready to run>

Previous results

Test case name	Result
Math.max
Reduce

Fastest: N/A

Slowest: N/A

Latest run results:

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Autogenerated LLM Summary (model llama3.2:3b, generated one year ago):

LLMs can make mistakes. Check important info.

Let's dive into the world of JavaScript microbenchmarks on MeasureThat.net!

**Benchmark Overview**

The benchmark in question compares the performance of two approaches to find the maximum value in an array of objects: `Math.max()` and `Array.reduce()`. The test case uses a dataset of 5,000 objects with a unique value for each object.

**Options Compared**

Two options are compared:

1. **`Math.max()`**: This function returns the largest of zero or more numbers.
2. **`Array.reduce()`**: This method applies a user-supplied function to each element in an array, reducing it to a single output value.

**Pros and Cons**

*   **`Math.max()`**:
    *   Pros: Simple, concise, and widely supported.
    *   Cons: May have performance issues with large arrays due to the overhead of creating a copy of the array for comparison.
*   **`Array.reduce()`**:
    *   Pros: Efficient for large datasets as it uses a single pass through the array.
    *   Cons: More complex than `Math.max()`, requires knowledge of the reduction function.

**Library and Purpose**

There is no library explicitly mentioned in this benchmark. However, the `Array.prototype.map()` method is used to create a new array with the values extracted from each object in the original array. This is a built-in JavaScript method that applies a given function to each element in an array.

**Special JS Feature/Syntax**

The test case uses the `=>` syntax for arrow functions, which is a shorthand way of defining small anonymous functions.

**Other Alternatives**

For large datasets or performance-critical code, other alternatives might include:

*   **Using `Array.prototype.reduce()` with a custom initial value**: Instead of passing `0` as the initial value to `reduce()`, using a different value (e.g., `-Infinity`) can provide better performance for very small arrays.
*   **Parallelizing or vectorizing operations**: Modern JavaScript engines, especially those that support WebAssembly, might allow for parallelizing certain operations like `Math.max()` or `Array.reduce()`.
*   **Compiling to machine code**: Some transpilers like Webpack with Babel and Emscripten can compile JavaScript to native machine code, which is closer to the performance of native languages.

**Benchmark Result Interpretation**

The benchmark result shows that for this particular dataset and on the specified hardware configuration, `Array.reduce()` outperforms `Math.max()`. However, it's essential to note that this might not hold true in all cases. Factors like JavaScript engine version, platform architecture (32-bit vs 64-bit), system resources, and even the specific browser used can significantly impact performance.

Always consider these factors when designing or optimizing your own benchmarks and keep an eye on multiple testing environments to ensure accuracy.

Related benchmarks:

Math.max() vs Array.reduce() - Object (version: 0)

Compare speed of Math.max() vs Array.reduce() for objects

Comparing performance of: Math.max vs Reduce

Created: 5 years ago by: Guest

Jump to the latest result

Math.max

Reduce

Suite status: <idle, ready to run>

Fastest: N/A

Slowest: N/A

No previous run results

Autogenerated LLM Summary (model llama3.2:3b, generated one year ago):