Java versus Go

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
Go #3	8.36	33.35	3,846	975	5.31
Java #3	40.02	40.12—40.21	62,652	1264	1.69
Java	10.48	42.17—43.29	62,661	1289	1.73
Java #2	45.41	45.13—51.49	60,027	520	1.68
Go #8	46.15	46.26—46.33	3,207	500	5.43
Java #8	46.66	49.88—55.68	59,994	517	1.65
Go	12.27	49.09	4,903	906	5.41
Go #2	12.36	49.40	16,966	903	5.43
n-body
	elapsed	Mean or 95% CI
source	secs	cpu secs	mem	gz	make
Go #3	6.39	6.41	3,191	1207	5.43
Java #4	6.92	6.94	60,592	1495	1.65
Go	7.02	7.09—7.27	3,228	1316	5.36
Go #2	7.04	7.06	3,203	1222	5.35
Java #5	7.34	7.39	61,669	1435	1.78
Java #2	7.51	7.53	60,846	1430	1.71
Java #3	7.52	7.54	61,186	1436	1.65
Java #8	7.61	7.66	60,953	1322	1.67
Java	7.89	7.91	61,276	1437	1.70
Go #8	9.60	9.64	3,191	1224	5.47
spectral-norm
	elapsed	Mean or 95% CI
source	secs	cpu secs	mem	gz	make
Go #8	5.34	5.36	3,838	429	5.35
Go	5.34	5.36	4,059	417	5.35
Java	5.47	5.51	61,817	521	1.51
Java #8	5.47	5.51	62,308	453	1.72
Go #4	1.43	5.69	4,174	555	5.45
Go #2	1.51	5.70	4,317	674	5.56
Java #3	1.61	6.01	62,812	762	1.68
Java #2	1.65	6.16—6.20	61,784	956	2.76
mandelbrot
	elapsed	Mean or 95% CI
source	secs	cpu secs	mem	gz	make
Go #4	3.77	15.02	37,970	912	5.49
Go #3	3.78	15.03	38,101	900	5.82
Java #2	4.16	16.30—16.44	101,253	802	1.72
Java #4	4.44	16.15—16.21	124,953	667	1.66
Java #6	4.21	16.67—17.00	100,794	808	1.78
Go	5.04	20.05	35,787	829	5.40
Java	24.54	24.65—24.78	60,711	671	1.81
Go #8	26.70	26.77	3,199	500	5.39
Go #2	6.87	27.32	35,549	843	5.69
Go #6	6.91	27.48	35,119	707	5.69
Java #8	27.72	27.85—27.91	63,836	441	1.74
Java #3	7.11	28.81—34.50	101,401	910	1.91
fasta
	elapsed	Mean or 95% CI
source	secs	cpu secs	mem	gz	make
Java #4	3.32	3.42	62,726	1528	1.74
Java #6	1.20	3.73	68,055	2549	1.91
Go	3.74	3.76	3,207	1055	5.36
Java #5	1.27	3.95—4.17	68,420	2478	1.86
Go #2	1.27	4.08	12,644	1405	5.51
Go #3	1.52	4.10	5,095	1362	5.29
Java #2	4.41	4.64—4.73	65,995	1259	1.75
Java #8	10.27	10.94—11.09	202,166	894	1.99
Go #8	11.22	11.54—11.80	9,052	880	5.55
k-nucleotide
	elapsed	Mean or 95% CI
source	secs	cpu secs	mem	gz	make
Java	4.94	16.37—17.19	459,260	1821	2.19
Java #3	7.25	25.39—25.58	389,857	1642	2.01
Java #6	7.27	25.30—26.29	389,628	1614	2.19
Go #7	7.58	28.83—29.08	168,186	1613	5.42
Go #3	8.20	29.98—30.69	150,413	1729	5.63
Go #6	8.30	30.22—30.75	150,442	1596	5.79
Go #4	9.27	32.00—35.21	144,650	1552	5.11
Java #4	34.38	34.66—36.43	218,042	1887	2.05
Java #5	20.48	44.95—46.24	243,007	2225	2.12
Go #8	61.38	62.37—62.83	558,379	752	5.20
Java #8	79.72	83.79—87.16	1,484,460	786	2.09
reverse-complement
	elapsed	Mean or 95% CI
source	secs	cpu secs	mem	gz	make
Go #2	2.22	2.34—2.39	822,211	614	4.79
Go #3	2.50	2.62—2.66	821,985	609	4.88
Go #6	1.93	3.46—3.52	1,277,608	1340	4.77
Java #6	3.20	3.84	2,103,058	760	1.69
Java #5	4.81	4.93—5.10	1,143,575	1115	1.66
Java #4	5.73	5.87—5.94	1,958,097	656	1.58
Go #5		Bad Output
Go		Empty
Java #7		Bad Output
Java #3		Bad Output
binary-trees [ Contentious. Different approaches. ]
	elapsed	Mean or 95% CI
source	secs	cpu secs	mem	gz	make
Java #4	4.45	5.56—5.91	1,804,603	846	2.63
Java #6	4.91	5.73—5.77	1,792,643	535	1.59
Java #3	4.92	5.73—5.85	1,733,562	546	1.55
Java #2	5.05	5.84—5.91	1,792,967	558	1.78
Java #7	2.62	8.09—8.18	1,778,696	841	1.88
Go #6	27.93	29.32—29.66	416,195	618	5.43
Go #2	14.21	56.45—56.55	635,613	672	5.41
Go #3	14.90	57.97—58.17	329,499	806	5.29
Go #5	14.68	57.76—58.07	386,056	957	5.41
Go	32.05	59.81—60.00	243,114	488	5.21
Go #7	32.57	61.40—61.53	241,345	531	5.30
pidigits [ Contentious. Different libraries. ]
	elapsed	Mean or 95% CI
source	secs	cpu secs	mem	gz	make
* Go #4	0.82	0.84	6,402	689	8.17
* Java #3	0.84	0.86	60,424	770	1.73
Go	1.15	1.22—1.31	7,533	715	11.71
* Go #3	1.17	1.35—1.49	6,885	610	8.50
Java #4	1.05	1.27	78,606	733	3.62
* Java #2	1.34	1.41	65,090	944	1.71
Go #2	1.76	1.90—2.03	7,823	740	7.70
Go #6	2.47	2.48	10,703	727	5.59
Go #7	5.00	5.65	10,527	702	6.17
Java	7.72	8.78—8.83	453,767	807	1.56
regex-redux [ Contentious. Different libraries. ]
	elapsed	Mean or 95% CI
source	secs	cpu secs	mem	gz	make
Java #2	1.60	3.19	386,425	2201	3.75
Go #5	3.23	5.40—5.44	297,800	817	8.13
Java	8.45	16.81—16.98	533,582	875	1.81
Java #6	5.61	17.10—17.43	1,287,463	746	1.82
Java #3	5.30	17.04—17.22	636,994	935	1.82
Go #4	14.49	35.20—35.71	349,008	832	8.44
Go #3	25.15	61.72—63.46	336,585	836	5.60
Go	25.79	61.91—62.99	301,662	749	5.85
Java	java 23 2024-09-17 Java HotSpot(TM) 64-Bit Server VM (build 23+37-2369, mixed mode, sharing)
Go	go version go1.23.1 linux/amd64 GOAMD64=v2