The Computer Language
25.02 Benchmarks Game

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 11.14 44.12—44.75 109,359 1320 0.11
Node.js #8 58.20 58.18 63,136 452 0.11
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 8.60 8.62—8.69 66,097 1274 0.11
Node.js #8 9.65 9.66—9.77 65,671 1173 0.12
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 65,417 420 0.14
C gcc #8 5.41 5.41 3,219 389 2.42
Node.js 5.41 5.42—5.62 66,429 326 0.12
C gcc #3 1.43 5.71 4,080 470 2.42
Node.js #6 1.61 6.03 114,618 1002 0.12
Node.js #8 6.53 6.53—6.67 66,380 355 0.11
* 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 15.87—15.93 143,802 1128 0.07
C gcc #8 25.17 25.18 2,355 412 2.29
Node.js #2 29.40 29.42 73,261 422 0.12
Node.js 68.65 70.52—72.09 67,793 380 0.11
Node.js #8 70.27 71.43—72.95 67,498 412 0.09
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 2.55 7.11—7.18 117,953 2050 0.14
C gcc #8 8.27 8.31—8.37 2,195 839 2.20
Node.js #8 19.16 19.41—19.52 73,728 742 0.10
Node.js 38.96 39.72—40.24 70,394 815 0.12
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 16.44 44.48—45.05 452,764 1817 0.12
Node.js #8 107.03 109.38—113.28 736,874 678 0.09
Node.js #2 37.75 113.17—114.37 1,894,363 941 0.11
Node.js 39.56 115.80—116.78 1,365,475 1011 0.11
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 15.52 16.24—16.30 764,158 1228 0.13
* 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 15.99 28.29—28.58 1,076,969 458 0.11
Node.js #6 8.54 30.88—31.03 1,278,456 752 0.12
C gcc #5 8.71 31.85—32.27 361,587 914 2.34
Node.js 8.95 33.88—34.17 1,401,799 717 0.11
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 71,004 487 0.12
Node.js #2 12.19 12.18—12.39 101,380 405 0.12
Node.js #3 12.28 12.42—12.70 101,482 431 0.14
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 4.31 5.33 839,913 675 0.12
Node.js #4 5.46 5.73—5.82 1,036,313 471 0.11
Node.js

v23.0.0

C gcc

gcc (Ubuntu 14.2.0-4ubuntu2) 14.2.0