Node.js versus C gcc

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 gcc #6	2.14	8.44	2,712	1582	2.68
* C gcc #4	14.05	14.06	2,351	1190	2.31
C gcc #5	7.28	28.32—28.45	2,949	917	2.17
C gcc #3	36.84	36.84—36.89	2,343	574	2.19
C gcc #8	39.34	39.52—40.22	2,343	483	2.20
C gcc	39.65	39.64—40.07	2,343	514	2.12
* C gcc #2	10.18	39.98—40.15	2,695	1563	2.51
Node.js #5	11.07	43.76—44.47	111,055	1320	0.14
Node.js #8	58.32	58.31	64,094	452	0.13
n-body
	elapsed	Mean or 95% CI
source	secs	cpu secs	mem	gz	make
* C gcc #9	2.10	2.10	2,482	1639	2.99
* C gcc #4	4.06	4.06	2,499	1398	2.98
C gcc #6	4.98	4.99	2,482	1186	2.33
C gcc #2	5.20	5.20	2,490	1270	2.43
C gcc	5.23	5.23	2,486	1179	2.58
C gcc #3	5.24	5.24	2,482	1214	2.42
* C gcc #5	5.44	5.44	2,494	1436	2.31
C gcc #8	5.54	5.54	2,486	1195	2.52
C gcc #7	6.89	6.90	2,490	1250	2.32
Node.js #6	8.55	8.60—8.73	67,244	1274	0.11
Node.js #8	9.63	9.64—9.99	66,695	1173	0.16
spectral-norm
	elapsed	Mean or 95% CI
source	secs	cpu secs	mem	gz	make
* C gcc #6	0.40	1.60	3,199	1203	3.38
* C gcc #5	0.72	2.86	3,858	576	2.52
* C gcc #7	0.72	2.86	4,067	906	3.21
* C gcc #4	0.72	2.86	3,719	1145	2.49
Node.js #7	5.40	5.40	66,163	420	0.12
C gcc #8	5.41	5.41	3,219	389	2.42
Node.js	5.41	5.38—5.51	67,637	326	0.15
C gcc #3	1.43	5.71	4,080	470	2.42
Node.js #6	1.60	6.03	116,212	1002	0.14
Node.js #8	6.53	6.53	66,642	355	0.14
* C gcc #2		Empty
mandelbrot
	elapsed	Mean or 95% CI
source	secs	cpu secs	mem	gz	make
* C gcc #6	1.29	5.11	35,578	1147	2.64
C gcc #5	1.64	6.32	35,582	788	2.38
* C gcc #4	3.50	13.91	35,197	805	2.16
* C gcc #7	3.51	13.94	35,447	1000	2.60
* C gcc	3.50	13.94	35,017	828	2.23
* C gcc #3	3.55	14.12	34,873	769	2.26
C gcc #9	4.07	15.72	35,394	700	2.47
Node.js #3	4.05	15.86—15.92	144,757	1128	0.15
C gcc #8	25.17	25.18	2,355	412	2.29
Node.js #2	29.41	29.44	73,617	422	0.11
Node.js	69.02	72.84—75.47	69,100	380	0.15
Node.js #8	70.31	73.08—75.99	68,338	412	0.11
fasta
	elapsed	Mean or 95% CI
source	secs	cpu secs	mem	gz	make
C gcc #3	0.79	0.79	2,236	1469	2.26
C gcc #5	1.24	1.25	2,154	1286	2.42
C gcc #2	2.77	2.77	2,204	1299	2.25
C gcc #6	0.95	2.77—2.81	3,748	1936	2.44
C gcc #7	0.83	3.28	4,514	2276	2.39
C gcc	3.71	3.71	2,421	1213	2.25
* Node.js #5	2.56	7.10—7.15	120,930	2050	0.14
C gcc #8	8.27	8.31—8.37	2,195	839	2.20
Node.js #8	18.98	19.26—19.53	74,129	742	0.13
Node.js	38.55	39.18—39.87	71,639	815	0.14
C gcc #4		Empty
k-nucleotide
	elapsed	Mean or 95% CI
source	secs	cpu secs	mem	gz	make
C gcc	3.58	12.06—12.40	135,234	1512	2.82
Node.js #3	15.99	43.91—44.53	448,524	1817	0.14
Node.js #8	105.52	109.35—113.96	734,392	678	0.13
Node.js #2	35.57	110.72—113.74	1,897,566	941	0.13
Node.js	37.72	115.01—117.24	1,361,019	1011	0.13
reverse-complement
	elapsed	Mean or 95% CI
source	secs	cpu secs	mem	gz	make
* C gcc #7	0.44	0.62	514,208	1899	3.13
C gcc #9	0.49	0.78	514,159	1551	2.20
C gcc #6	0.97	1.37	693,969	828	2.26
C gcc #5	1.54	1.54	1,020,662	654	2.05
C gcc #2	1.07	1.59	1,021,755	757	2.15
* C gcc #4	3.70	3.71	514,077	716	2.22
* Node.js #2	15.53	16.25—16.39	763,048	1228	0.14
* Node.js #7		Bad Output
binary-trees [ Contentious. Different approaches. ]
	elapsed	Mean or 95% CI
source	secs	cpu secs	mem	gz	make
C gcc #2	1.56	4.30—4.45	174,780	816	3.21
C gcc #3	1.96	4.79—4.93	138,711	842	2.94
C gcc	21.21	21.39—21.70	272,065	660	2.37
Node.js #7	16.07	28.29—28.55	1,128,059	458	0.10
Node.js #6	8.61	30.92—31.04	1,275,720	752	0.06
C gcc #5	8.71	31.85—32.27	361,587	914	2.34
Node.js	8.94	33.89—34.14	1,389,228	717	0.09
pidigits [ Contentious. Different libraries. ]
	elapsed	Mean or 95% CI
source	secs	cpu secs	mem	gz	make
C gcc #2	0.74	0.74	4,006	422	2.25
C gcc	0.75	0.75	3,727	459	2.30
Node.js #4	1.15	1.16	71,688	487	0.14
Node.js #2	12.17	12.15—12.42	102,679	405	0.10
Node.js #3	12.25	12.23—12.38	102,257	431	0.12
regex-redux [ Contentious. Different libraries. ]
	elapsed	Mean or 95% CI
source	secs	cpu secs	mem	gz	make
C gcc #5	0.81	2.05	157,463	1403	2.47
C gcc #2	3.22	3.22	106,713	1121	2.14
C gcc #4	0.97	3.30	157,417	1237	2.18
C gcc #3	1.73	3.32	107,401	1273	2.27
Node.js #3	4.35	5.71—5.92	840,503	675	0.12
Node.js #4	5.47	5.63—5.76	1,036,935	471	0.14
Node.js	v23.8.0
C gcc	gcc (Ubuntu 14.2.0-4ubuntu2) 14.2.0