Benchmark: Symbol vs String property square bracket fork

Script Preparation code:

var foo = {};
var sym = Symbol("key");
var str = "key";

Tests:

Symbol
foo[sym] = 1;
String
foo[str] = 1;
String 2
foo[str] = 1;

Rendered benchmark preparation results:

Suite status: <idle, ready to run>

Previous results

Test case name	Result
Symbol
String
String 2

Fastest: N/A

Slowest: N/A

Latest run results:

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

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

**Benchmark Definition**

The benchmark is focused on comparing the performance of two approaches: using a Symbol as a property key versus using a String as a property key, specifically when it comes to accessing and assigning values to an object.

The script preparation code defines:

1. An empty object `foo`.
2. A Symbol `sym` with the key "key".
3. A string `str` with the value "key".

**Benchmark Test Cases**

There are three test cases:

1. **Symbol**: Tests accessing and assigning a value to the property using the Symbol as the key: `foo[sym] = 1;`.
2. **String**: Tests accessing and assigning a value to the property using the String as the key: `foo[str] = 1;`.
3. **String 2**: Similar to the previous one, but with a slightly different implementation (not shown in the benchmark definition).

**Comparison of Options**

The two main options being compared are:

* Using a Symbol (`sym`) as a property key.
* Using a String (`str`) as a property key.

Pros and Cons of each approach:

**Symbol:**

Pros:

* Symbols are unique and can be used to avoid collision issues with existing property keys.
* They are also hashable, which means they can be used in data structures like sets and maps.

Cons:

* Symbols are not supported in older browsers or versions of JavaScript (e.g., Internet Explorer 8-10).
* Some older browsers may have issues with symbol-based code.

**String:**

Pros:

* Strings are widely supported across all browsers and versions of JavaScript.
* They are also easier to work with when it comes to string manipulation.

Cons:

* Strings can cause collision issues if not properly escaped or hashed.
* They are less efficient than symbols when it comes to performance.

**Library Usage**

None of the provided benchmark code uses any external libraries.

**Special JS Features/Syntax**

This benchmark does not use any special JavaScript features or syntax, such as async/await, generators, or WebAssembly. However, it's worth noting that symbol-based code can take advantage of some modern JavaScript features like `Object.prototype.toString.call()` to improve performance.

**Other Alternatives**

If you're interested in exploring alternative approaches, here are a few options:

* **Using a hash function**: You could use a hash function (e.g., `crypto.createHash('sha256').update('key').digest('hex')`) to generate a unique string-based property key. This approach would be more secure than using an existing string value.
* **Using a numeric index**: Instead of using symbols or strings as property keys, you could use a numeric index (e.g., an array index) to access and assign values. This approach would likely be the fastest but may not be suitable for all scenarios.

Keep in mind that the choice of property key depends on the specific requirements and constraints of your application.

Related benchmarks:

Symbol vs String property square bracket fork (version: 0)

Comparing performance of: Symbol vs String vs String 2

Created: 3 years ago by: Registered User

Jump to the latest result

Symbol

String

String 2

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):