Benchmark: Delete vs Null - MeasureThat.net

Script Preparation code:

var obj = {};
for (let i = 0; i < 1000; i++) {
    obj[i] = {};
}

Tests:

Delete
Object.keys(obj).forEach(k => { delete obj[k]; });
Null
Object.keys(obj).forEach(k => { obj[k] = null; });

Rendered benchmark preparation results:

Suite status: <idle, ready to run>

Previous results

Test case name	Result
Delete
Null

Fastest: N/A

Slowest: N/A

Latest run results:

No previous run results

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

LLMs can make mistakes. Check important info.

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**Benchmark Definition**

The provided benchmark is designed to test two different approaches for clearing an object: deleting its properties or setting them to null.

The `Script Preparation Code` specifies that we start with an empty object, `obj`, and populate it with 1000 nested objects using a loop. This creates a large, complex object structure.

**Options being compared**

We have two test cases:

1. **Delete**: The code uses the `delete` operator to delete each property of the object.
2. **Null**: The code sets each property of the object to null.

**Pros and Cons**

*   **Delete:**
    *   Pros:
        *   Efficient memory usage, as deleting a property removes it from memory immediately.
        *   Can be faster for large objects, since deleting a property doesn't require allocating new memory.
    *   Cons:
        *   May trigger garbage collection if the object is still referenced elsewhere in the code.
        *   Doesn't work well with inherited properties or prototype chains.
*   **Null:**
    *   Pros:
        *   Easy to implement and understand.
        *   Works well with inherited properties or prototype chains.
        *   Can be faster for small objects, since setting a property to null doesn't require allocating new memory.
    *   Cons:
        *   Less efficient memory usage, as setting a property to null only marks it for garbage collection.
        *   May trigger unnecessary garbage collection if the object is not referenced elsewhere.

**Library and Purpose**

There are no libraries mentioned in the benchmark definition. However, JavaScript objects can inherit properties from their prototypes or have prototype chains that can affect how the `delete` and `null` operations work.

**Special JS feature or syntax**

There are no special features or syntax used in this benchmark. The code only uses standard JavaScript operators and constructs.

**Other alternatives**

To clear an object, other approaches might be considered:

*   Using a library like Lodash or Underscore.js that provides utility functions for working with objects.
*   Using `Object.assign(null, obj)` to set all properties of the object to null (although this may trigger unnecessary garbage collection).
*   Using a custom implementation that iterates over the object's own enumerable properties and sets them to null.

Keep in mind that these alternatives might not be as efficient or well-tested as the original `delete` and `null` approaches.

Related benchmarks:

Delete vs Null (version: 0)

Comparing performance of: Delete vs Null

Created: 5 years ago by: Guest

Jump to the latest result

Delete

Null

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):