Benchmark: Math.random vs crypto.getRandomValues

Tests:

Math.random
Math.random()
crypto API
crypto.getRandomValues(new Uint8Array(1))

Rendered benchmark preparation results:

Suite status: <idle, ready to run>

Previous results

Test case name	Result
Math.random
crypto API

Fastest: N/A

Slowest: N/A

Latest run results:

Run details: (Test run date: 3 months ago)

User agent: Mozilla/5.0 (Macintosh; Intel Mac OS X 10_15_7) AppleWebKit/537.36 (KHTML, like Gecko) Chrome/142.0.0.0 Safari/537.36

Browser/OS: Chrome 142 on Mac OS X 10.15.7

View result in a separate tab

Test name	Executions per second
Math.random	65569552.0 Ops/sec
crypto API	454750.2 Ops/sec

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

LLMs can make mistakes. Check important info.

Let's break down what's being tested in the provided benchmark.

**Benchmark Definition**

The website measures the performance of JavaScript microbenchmarks, specifically comparing the usage of `Math.random()` and `crypto.getRandomValues()`. The goal is to determine which method is faster and more efficient.

**Options Compared**

Two options are compared:

1. **`Math.random()`**: This function generates a random number between 0 (inclusive) and 1 (exclusive). It's a built-in JavaScript function that uses an algorithm to generate pseudo-random numbers.
2. **`crypto.getRandomValues(new Uint8Array(1))`**: This method returns a sequence of cryptographically secure pseudo-random numbers from the `crypto` module. The `new Uint8Array(1)` part creates a new array with one element, which is used as an output for the random number generation.

**Pros and Cons**

* **`Math.random()`**:
	+ Pros: Simple, widely supported, and fast.
	+ Cons: Pseudo-random numbers might not be suitable for cryptographic purposes due to their predictable nature.
* **`crypto.getRandomValues()`**:
	+ Pros: Provides cryptographically secure pseudo-random numbers, making it suitable for cryptographic applications.
	+ Cons: May be slower than `Math.random()` due to the additional overhead of generating cryptographically secure random numbers.

**Library and Purpose**

In this benchmark, the `crypto` library is used. The `crypto` module provides various cryptographic functions, including `getRandomValues()`, which generates cryptographically secure pseudo-random numbers.

**Special JS Feature or Syntax**

There's no special JavaScript feature or syntax being tested in this benchmark. Both options rely on standard JavaScript constructs: `Math.random()` and the `crypto.getRandomValues()` method.

**Other Considerations**

When choosing between these two options, consider the requirements of your application:

* If you need cryptographically secure random numbers for cryptographic applications, use `crypto.getRandomValues()`.
* For general-purpose applications that require fast, pseudo-random numbers, use `Math.random()`.

**Alternatives**

If you're looking for alternative methods to generate random numbers in JavaScript, you can consider using:

* `Web Cryptography API`: A W3C standard for generating and manipulating cryptographic keys and values.
* `Random.org` or other online randomness services: These provide cryptographically secure pseudo-random numbers.
* Other libraries like `seedrandom` or `simple-rng`, which implement different random number generation algorithms.

Keep in mind that the choice of random number generator depends on your specific use case, performance requirements, and the level of security needed.

Related benchmarks:

Math.random vs crypto.getRandomValues (version: 0)

Fast and quick test

Comparing performance of: Math.random vs crypto API

Created: 4 years ago by: Guest

Jump to the latest result

Math.random

crypto API

Suite status: <idle, ready to run>

Fastest: N/A

Slowest: N/A

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