C clang versus Haskell GHC

How the programs are written matters! Always look at the source code.

If the fastest programs are flagged * possible hand-written vector instructions or "unsafe" or naked ffi, does the host language matter? You might be more interested in the less optimised programs — more seconds, less gz source code.

fannkuch-redux
	elapsed	Mean or 95% CI
source	secs	cpu secs	mem	gz	make
* C clang #6	2.25	8.88	2,941	1582	5.47
* C clang #4	13.38	13.39	2,351	1190	5.22
C clang #5	8.13	32.00—32.15	4,764	917	5.37
C clang #3	34.18	34.19—34.26	2,355	574	5.02
* C clang #2	8.70	34.15—34.33	2,945	1563	5.27
C clang #8	36.36	36.44—36.51	2,347	483	5.13
C clang	36.52	36.54—36.63	2,347	514	5.35
Haskell GHC #3	9.68	37.43—39.88	9,560	1184	17.73
* Haskell GHC #4	40.19	40.77	10,039	671	18.24
* Haskell GHC #5	10.33	40.87—40.98	9,748	850	18.20
* Haskell GHC #6	12.54	45.11—45.49	27,533	1123	19.63
* Haskell GHC #2	44.38	133.16—134.87	28,840	815	19.03
Haskell GHC	291.77	300.04	15,471	567	18.42
n-body
	elapsed	Mean or 95% CI
source	secs	cpu secs	mem	gz	make
* C clang #9	2.20	2.20	2,417	1639	6.15
* C clang #5	4.86	4.86	2,470	1436	5.17
C clang #6	5.17	5.17	2,970	1186	5.42
C clang	5.38	5.39	2,978	1179	5.06
C clang #2	5.43	5.43	2,966	1270	5.25
* C clang #4	5.60	5.61	2,953	1398	6.30
C clang #8	5.70	5.56—6.19	2,961	1195	5.27
C clang #3	6.13	6.13	2,966	1214	5.26
Haskell GHC #2	6.42	6.52	9,982	1888	18.28
C clang #7	6.78	6.80	2,966	1250	5.05
* Haskell GHC	7.20	7.32	10,256	1713	17.72
spectral-norm
	elapsed	Mean or 95% CI
source	secs	cpu secs	mem	gz	make
* C clang #6	0.39	1.55	4,686	1203	6.45
* C clang #4	0.73	2.87	5,382	1145	5.66
* C clang #5	0.73	2.87—2.91	5,403	576	5.55
* C clang #2	0.74	4.30—7.09	5,288	941	6.43
C clang #8	5.41	5.42	3,211	389	5.15
Haskell GHC #4	1.50	5.71	10,088	994	17.68
C clang #3	1.45	5.75—5.79	5,423	470	5.58
* C clang #7	1.84	8.98—10.12	5,439	906	6.66
* Haskell GHC #2	15.62	15.72	12,702	410	17.37
mandelbrot
	elapsed	Mean or 95% CI
source	secs	cpu secs	mem	gz	make
C clang #9	1.24	4.92	36,811	700	5.32
* Haskell GHC #3	1.44	5.61	58,978	1985	17.38
C clang #5	1.54	6.10	37,044	788	5.35
* C clang #4	3.49	13.89—13.95	36,102	805	5.26
* C clang	3.51	13.95	35,643	828	5.65
* C clang #7	3.54	14.02—14.06	36,491	1000	5.49
* C clang #3	3.56	14.16—14.20	35,418	769	5.06
C clang #8	25.51	25.52	2,359	412	5.22
Haskell GHC #2	6.63	26.40	51,020	789	18.05
Haskell GHC	36.39	37.10—37.17	271,499	628	18.20
* C clang #6		Empty
fasta
	elapsed	Mean or 95% CI
source	secs	cpu secs	mem	gz	make
C clang #3	0.79	0.79	2,273	1469	4.57
C clang #5	1.20	1.20	2,204	1286	5.64
C clang #2	2.44	2.44	2,163	1299	5.14
* Haskell GHC #6	0.87	2.83	14,696	1885	20.46
* Haskell GHC #5	0.94	2.86—2.90	16,937	2004	21.68
* Haskell GHC #4	0.88	2.88	48,284	2017	21.37
C clang #6	1.04	3.05	5,272	1936	5.40
C clang #7	0.83	3.28—3.32	5,861	2276	5.29
C clang	3.47	3.47	2,392	1213	5.28
Haskell GHC	5.45	5.56	15,172	975	17.83
Haskell GHC #3	6.88	7.13—7.34	638,296	1091	17.94
C clang #8	8.08	8.14—8.25	2,200	839	5.08
Haskell GHC #2	6.70	18.92—19.06	453,231	1323	17.62
C clang #4		Empty
k-nucleotide
	elapsed	Mean or 95% CI
source	secs	cpu secs	mem	gz	make
C clang	6.27	13.93—14.23	134,038	1512	6.01
Haskell GHC	24.42	86.79—87.67	435,479	1067	20.21
* Haskell GHC #2	23.63	91.27—91.47	864,662	1492	21.61
* Haskell GHC #3	35.01	132.31—139.58	557,658	2266	33.21
reverse-complement
	elapsed	Mean or 95% CI
source	secs	cpu secs	mem	gz	make
* C clang #7	0.45	0.61—0.67	514,220	1899	6.22
C clang #9	0.47	0.72	514,216	1551	5.13
C clang #2	1.17	1.70	1,021,891	757	5.17
C clang #5	1.97	2.03—2.09	1,020,813	654	5.16
* Haskell GHC #4	3.12	3.21	523,321	1047	17.86
* C clang #4	3.77	3.78	514,023	716	4.93
C clang #6	1.05	4.15—4.20	714,764	828	5.90
* Haskell GHC #2	6.43	6.65—6.81	3,140,076	998	18.29
binary-trees [ Contentious. Different approaches. ]
	elapsed	Mean or 95% CI
source	secs	cpu secs	mem	gz	make
Haskell GHC #4	2.11	5.31—5.63	227,762	807	17.37
C clang #2	1.66	5.23—6.05	176,116	816	5.77
C clang #3	1.91	5.90	138,719	842	5.90
Haskell GHC #7	2.49	6.82—7.39	253,440	817	18.12
Haskell GHC #6	3.81	7.72—7.91	246,522	601	17.53
Haskell GHC #2	12.35	14.59—15.80	276,058	498	17.58
Haskell GHC	12.77	14.53—14.73	588,079	500	17.27
Haskell GHC #5	7.34	15.82—16.27	678,425	567	17.96
Haskell GHC #3	7.28	17.28—17.87	611,250	544	18.77
C clang	17.72	17.78—18.29	271,938	660	5.20
C clang #5	9.25	33.42—33.59	361,689	914	4.96
pidigits [ Contentious. Different libraries. ]
	elapsed	Mean or 95% CI
source	secs	cpu secs	mem	gz	make
C clang #2	0.74	0.74	3,990	422	5.19
C clang	0.75	0.75	3,731	459	5.35
Haskell GHC #6	1.44	1.59	22,929	368	17.88
Haskell GHC #4	1.67	1.78	22,684	355	17.58
Haskell GHC #3	2.07	2.17	22,970	387	16.96
Haskell GHC #2	2.09	2.18	22,884	592	17.97
Haskell GHC	2.10	2.21	23,073	466	17.36
* Haskell GHC #5	98.97	99.14	15,725	934	17.94
regex-redux [ Contentious. Different libraries. ]
	elapsed	Mean or 95% CI
source	secs	cpu secs	mem	gz	make
* Haskell GHC #3	1.11	2.34—2.40	356,499	2219	21.19
C clang #5	0.83	2.82	159,736	1403	5.40
C clang #2	3.22	3.22	106,783	1121	5.07
C clang #4	0.99	3.82—3.86	159,539	1237	5.11
C clang #3	1.76	4.34	109,867	1273	5.08
C clang	Ubuntu clang version 18.1.8 (11)
Haskell GHC	The Glorious Glasgow Haskell Compilation System, version 9.10.1 LLVM version 18.1.3