Benchmark: for vs while vs for of vs forEach2

Script Preparation code:

var arr = []
for (var i = 0; i < 1000; i++) arr[i] = i

Tests:

for i++
for (let i = 0; i < arr.length; i++) { let a = arr[i] }
for i--
for (let i = arr.length; i >= 0; i--) { let a = arr[i] }
for of
for (let v of arr) { let a = v }
forEach
arr.forEach(v => { let a = v })

Rendered benchmark preparation results:

Suite status: <idle, ready to run>

Previous results

Test case name	Result
for i++
for i--
for of
forEach

Fastest: N/A

Slowest: N/A

Latest run results:

Run details: (Test run date: 2 years ago)

User agent: Mozilla/5.0 (Windows NT 10.0; Win64; x64) AppleWebKit/537.36 (KHTML, like Gecko) Chrome/110.0.0.0 Safari/537.36

Browser/OS: Chrome 110 on Windows

View result in a separate tab

Test name	Executions per second
for i++	6022.9 Ops/sec
for i--	11976.0 Ops/sec
for of	1314659.5 Ops/sec
forEach	2380888.2 Ops/sec

Autogenerated LLM Summary (model llama3.2:3b, generated 6 months ago):

LLMs can make mistakes. Check important info.

Measuring JavaScript performance is crucial, and MeasuringThat.net provides a great platform for it.

**Benchmark Overview**

The provided JSON represents a benchmarking test that compares the performance of different approaches to iterate over an array in JavaScript:

1. **For loop with `i++`**: A traditional `for` loop that increments the variable `i`.
2. **For loop with `i--`**: Another traditional `for` loop that decrements the variable `i`.
3. **For-of loop**: A new `for...of` loop that iterates over an array without a traditional index.
4. **`forEach()` method**: The `Array.prototype.forEach()` method, which is designed for iterating over arrays.

**Options Compared**

The benchmark compares the performance of these four options on the same dataset:

*   Arr.length is set to 1000.
*   Each iteration performs the same operation: assigning a value to a variable (`a = arr[i]`).
*   The only difference between the options is how they iterate over the array.

**Pros and Cons**

Here's a brief analysis of each option:

1.  **For loop with `i++`**:
    *   Pros:
        *   Simple and well-established.
        *   Easy to understand and implement.
    *   Cons:
        *   Less performant compared to modern alternatives.
        *   May have performance regressions due to increment/decrement operations.

2.  **For loop with `i--`**:
    *   Pros:
        *   Also simple and well-established.
        *   Easy to understand and implement.
    *   Cons:
        *   Less performant compared to modern alternatives.
        *   May have performance regressions due to decrement operations.

3.  **For-of loop**:
    *   Pros:
        *   Modern, efficient, and easy to use.
        *   Reduces the need for manual index management.
    *   Cons:
        *   Less familiar to older JavaScript developers.
        *   May require more memory due to the creation of a temporary array.

4.  **`forEach()` method**:
    *   Pros:
        *   Efficient, modern, and easy to use.
        *   Well-suited for iterating over arrays.
    *   Cons:
        *   Not suitable for all types of data (e.g., objects).
        *   May have performance regressions due to unnecessary array copies.

**Libraries and Special Features**

None of the provided options rely on a specific library or feature that is not part of the standard JavaScript syntax.

**Other Alternatives**

For other iteration methods, you can consider:

1.  **`Array.prototype.map()`**: Transforms an array into a new array by applying a given function to each element.
2.  **`Array.prototype.filter()`**: Creates a new array with all elements that pass the test implemented by a provided function.
3.  **`Array.prototype.reduce()`**: Applies a reduce function to an array.

These alternatives can be used in different scenarios, but may not always provide the most optimal solution for iteration performance.

**Conclusion**

The benchmark provides valuable insights into the relative performance of different iteration methods in JavaScript. The results highlight that modern approaches like `for-of` loops and `forEach()` method are generally more efficient than traditional `for` loops. However, the choice of iteration method ultimately depends on the specific requirements and constraints of your project.

I hope this explanation helps software engineers understand the differences between these iteration methods!

Related benchmarks:

for vs while vs for of vs forEach2 (version: 0)

Comparing performance of: for i++ vs for i-- vs for of vs forEach

Created: 2 years ago by: Guest

Jump to the latest result

for i++

for i--

for of

forEach

Suite status: <idle, ready to run>

Experimental features:

Fastest: N/A

Slowest: N/A

Autogenerated LLM Summary (model llama3.2:3b, generated 6 months ago):