Benchmark: Canvas restore or retranslate

HTML Preparation code:


<canvas id='canvas' width='1000' height='1000'></canvas>

Script Preparation code:


var el = document.getElementById('canvas');
let ctx = el.getContext("2d");

Tests:

restore
ctx.save(); ctx.translate(500, 500) ctx.beginPath() ctx.moveTo(500, 500) ctx.lineTo(600, 600) ctx.stroke(); ctx.restore()
retranslate
ctx.translate(500, 500) ctx.beginPath() ctx.moveTo(500, 500) ctx.lineTo(600, 600) ctx.stroke(); ctx.translate(-500, -500)

Rendered benchmark preparation results:

Suite status: <idle, ready to run>

Previous results

Test case name	Result
restore
retranslate

Fastest: N/A

Slowest: N/A

Latest run results:

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

User agent: Mozilla/5.0 (Windows NT 10.0; Win64; x64; rv:135.0) Gecko/20100101 Firefox/135.0

Browser/OS: Firefox 135 on Windows

View result in a separate tab

Test name	Executions per second
restore	1483601.9 Ops/sec
retranslate	1435987.4 Ops/sec

Autogenerated LLM Summary (model gpt-4o-mini, generated 5 months ago):

LLMs can make mistakes. Check important info.

This benchmark focuses on testing two different methods of manipulating the canvas in HTML5 using the 2D rendering context. Here's a breakdown of what’s being tested, the approaches being compared, their pros and cons, and some additional considerations.

### Benchmark Overview

The benchmark tests two main operations on a canvas element:

1. **Restore**: This operation relies on saving the current state of the canvas context, performing some translations and drawing a line, and then restoring the context back to the saved state.
   ```javascript
   ctx.save();
   ctx.translate(500, 500);
   ctx.beginPath();
   ctx.moveTo(500, 500);
   ctx.lineTo(600, 600);
   ctx.stroke();
   ctx.restore();
   ```

2. **Retranslate**: This operation translates the context to a new position, performs the drawing operation, and then translates back to the original position without saving and restoring the context state.
   ```javascript
   ctx.translate(500, 500);
   ctx.beginPath();
   ctx.moveTo(500, 500);
   ctx.lineTo(600, 600);
   ctx.stroke();
   ctx.translate(-500, -500);
   ```

### Comparison of Approaches

#### 1. Saving and Restoring Context (`restore`)
- **Pros**:
  - Ensures that the previous state of the canvas is cleanly restored, which is particularly useful when multiple transformations are being applied. It maintains a clear separation of drawing states.
  - Better for complex applications where multiple drawings and transformations are performed, as it minimizes the risk of accidental modifications to the canvas state.
  
- **Cons**:
  - Potentially slower due to the overhead of saving and restoring state. The save/restore operations can add a performance penalty, especially when performed repeatedly in a high-frequency rendering loop.

#### 2. Directly Translating (`retranslate`)
- **Pros**:
  - Generally faster since it avoids the overhead of saving and restoring states. This might be preferred in scenarios where performance is critical, and the state of the context is not highly variable.
  - Fewer operations can lead to more straightforward code when only a few transformations are needed.

- **Cons**:
  - Riskier in complex graphics rendering scenarios because it relies on keeping track of translations manually. If not managed carefully, it might lead to unexpected outcomes if the translation calls are not appropriately balanced (i.e., every translation should ideally have a corresponding reverse translation).
  
### Other Considerations

- **Canvas Performance**: Performance can vary significantly based on the complexity of the operations being performed. When developing applications that use large numbers of canvas operations (e.g., games or visualizations), it's essential to periodically test and profile these types of operations.
- **Browser Differences**: Performance can also vary among different browsers or devices, so benchmarks should be interpreted in the context of the specific environment in which the code is intended to run.

### Alternatives

Some alternatives to consider for achieving similar results through different approaches could include:

- **Using WebGL**: For more complex graphical rendering that requires higher performance and flexibility than 2D canvas operations can provide.
- **SVG (Scalable Vector Graphics)**: Offers a different paradigm for rendering graphics, where elements can be manipulated using standard DOM operations. Performance can vary, but SVG provides high-quality rendering and is resolution-independent.
- **HTML5 Canvas Libraries**: Utilizing libraries like PixiJS, Fabric.js, or Paper.js can help abstract some of the complexity associated with state management and performance optimizations while providing easier APIs to work with.

Understanding the trade-offs between different methodologies ensures that developers can make informed decisions when rendering graphics using HTML5 canvas.

Related benchmarks:

Canvas restore or retranslate (version: 1)

Comparing performance of: restore vs retranslate

Created: 5 months ago by: Guest

Jump to the latest result

restore

retranslate

Suite status: <idle, ready to run>

Experimental features:

Fastest: N/A

Slowest: N/A

Autogenerated LLM Summary (model gpt-4o-mini, generated 5 months ago):