Benchmark: Tuple versus Object for function return 01

Script Preparation code:

var COUNT = 100000

Tests:

Tuple
function now() { return [5612356223, 3] } for(let i = 0; i < COUNT; i++) { let [a, b] = now() }
Object
function now() { return {a:5612356223, b:3} } for(let i = 0; i < COUNT; i++) { let {a, b} = now() }

Rendered benchmark preparation results:

Suite status: <idle, ready to run>

Previous results

Test case name	Result
Tuple
Object

Fastest: N/A

Slowest: N/A

Latest run results:

Run details: (Test run date: 8 days ago)

User agent: Mozilla/5.0 (Windows NT 10.0; Win64; x64) AppleWebKit/537.36 (KHTML, like Gecko) Chrome/147.0.0.0 Safari/537.36

Browser/OS: Chrome 147 on Windows

View result in a separate tab

Test name	Executions per second
Tuple	5349.9 Ops/sec
Object	13120.3 Ops/sec

Autogenerated LLM Summary (model gpt-4o-mini, generated one year ago):

LLMs can make mistakes. Check important info.

The given benchmark compares two different approaches for returning multiple values from a function in JavaScript: using an array (tuple) versus using an object (dictionary). The benchmark aims to measure the performance differences in terms of execution speed when retrieving the values from these two types of data structures.

### Comparison Overview

1. **Tuple (Array)**:
   - **Test Code**: The function `now()` returns an array `[5612356223, 3]`. In the loop, values are extracted using destructuring: `let [a, b] = now()`.
   - **Performance**: The result shows that this approach executes at approximately **3984.29 executions per second**.

2. **Object**:
   - **Test Code**: The function `now()` returns an object `{a: 5612356223, b: 3}`. Values are extracted using destructuring as well: `let {a, b} = now()`.
   - **Performance**: The result indicates this approach executes at approximately **4766.22 executions per second**, which is notably faster compared to the tuple approach.

### Pros and Cons Analysis

#### Using Tuple (Array):
- **Pros**:
  - Simplicity: For a fixed number of values, using an array can be straightforward.
  - Less verbose: Less syntax is required for defining and using a tuple compared to an object.
  
- **Cons**:
  - Readability: When returning many values, it's harder to discern what each index represents (e.g., `result[0]` vs. `result.a`).
  - Maintainability: Changes in the returned values' order require careful management to avoid bugs.

#### Using Object:
- **Pros**:
  - Readability: Property names provide context, making it clearer what each value represents.
  - Destructuring flexibly supports adding or removing fields without impacting the consuming code as long as field names remain consistent.

- **Cons**:
  - Slightly more verbose: More syntax is needed to define and destructure the object compared to an array.
  - Performance: Although current results show this approach is faster, some edge cases could see variations in performance based on the JavaScript engine's optimizations.

### Other Considerations

- **Browser Variability**: Results can vary across different browsers and versions due to optimizations in JavaScript engines (e.g., Chrome’s V8 engine in the tested environment). Performance data should be cross-verified across key browsers for production-relative features.
- **Data Structure Choice**: Choosing between arrays and objects may depend on the data. If the result set requires named properties, an object is more appropriate; conversely, for fixed-length data without strong semantic meaning, an array might suffice.

### Alternatives

- **Using Maps**: Maps can provide key-value storage similar to objects but with better performance for frequently changing key sets. They can also iterate in insertion order, which can be beneficial depending on the use case.
- **Using Classes**: Encapsulating values in a class can provide both structure and methods associated with the data, fostering better organization of complex return types.
- **Keyword Arguments**: For scenarios requiring multiple optional parameters, consider using an options object pattern that allows consumers to specify parameters explicitly.

In summary, this benchmark emphasizes the performance implications of using different data structures for function returns in JavaScript, providing practical insights for developers to make informed decisions based on readability, efficiency, and potential application structure.

Related benchmarks:

Tuple versus Object for function return 01 (version: 1)

Comparing performance of: Tuple vs Object

Created: one year ago by: Guest

Jump to the latest result

Tuple

Object

Suite status: <idle, ready to run>

Fastest: N/A

Slowest: N/A

Autogenerated LLM Summary (model gpt-4o-mini, generated one year ago):