plain js utf8 is faster for short strings

README.md

@@ -372,33 +372,33 @@ The package includes a [benchmark](https://github.com/dcodeIO/protobuf.js/tree/m
 ```
 benchmarking encoding performance ...
 
-Type.encode to buffer x 402,572 ops/sec ±1.09% (90 runs sampled)
-JSON.stringify to string x 342,004 ops/sec ±1.46% (82 runs sampled)
-JSON.stringify to buffer x 184,468 ops/sec ±1.76% (79 runs sampled)
+Type.encode to buffer x 514,048 ops/sec ±0.75% (93 runs sampled)
+JSON.stringify to string x 355,935 ops/sec ±0.79% (91 runs sampled)
+JSON.stringify to buffer x 191,023 ops/sec ±1.39% (86 runs sampled)
 
       Type.encode to buffer was fastest
-   JSON.stringify to string was 15.4% slower
-   JSON.stringify to buffer was 54.5% slower
+   JSON.stringify to string was 30.8% slower
+   JSON.stringify to buffer was 63.1% slower
 
 benchmarking decoding performance ...
 
-Type.decode from buffer x 1,170,490 ops/sec ±1.49% (88 runs sampled)
-JSON.parse from string x 328,975 ops/sec ±0.90% (88 runs sampled)
-JSON.parse from buffer x 298,702 ops/sec ±0.82% (89 runs sampled)
+Type.decode from buffer x 1,238,587 ops/sec ±1.73% (87 runs sampled)
+JSON.parse from string x 312,168 ops/sec ±2.22% (83 runs sampled)
+JSON.parse from buffer x 272,975 ops/sec ±2.45% (82 runs sampled)
 
     Type.decode from buffer was fastest
-     JSON.parse from string was 71.7% slower
-     JSON.parse from buffer was 74.3% slower
+     JSON.parse from string was 74.9% slower
+     JSON.parse from buffer was 78.1% slower
 
 benchmarking combined performance ...
 
-Type to/from buffer x 218,688 ops/sec ±1.49% (90 runs sampled)
-JSON to/from string x 144,634 ops/sec ±1.97% (87 runs sampled)
-JSON to/from buffer x 102,350 ops/sec ±1.23% (92 runs sampled)
+Type to/from buffer x 246,428 ops/sec ±1.52% (89 runs sampled)
+JSON to/from string x 136,380 ops/sec ±1.50% (80 runs sampled)
+JSON to/from buffer x 95,229 ops/sec ±1.93% (86 runs sampled)
 
         Type to/from buffer was fastest
-        JSON to/from string was 34.2% slower
-        JSON to/from buffer was 53.1% slower
+        JSON to/from string was 44.6% slower
+        JSON to/from buffer was 61.5% slower
 ```
 
 Note that JSON is a native binding nowadays and as such is *really* fast. So, how can protobuf.js be faster?

bench/index.js

@@ -1,8 +1,5 @@
-var benchmark = require("benchmark"),
-    chalk     = require("chalk");
-
 var protobuf  = require("../src/index"),
-    suite     = new benchmark.Suite(),
+    newSuite  = require("./suite"),
     data      = require("./bench.json");
 
 // NOTE: This benchmark is flawed in that it compares protocol buffers, which is purely a binary
@@ -68,47 +65,4 @@ protobuf.load(require.resolve("./bench.proto"), function onload(err, root) {
     })
     .run();
 
-});
-
-var padSize = 27;
-
-function newSuite(name) {
-    var benches = [];
-    return new benchmark.Suite(name)
-    .on("add", function(event) {
-        benches.push(event.target);
-    })
-    .on("start", function() {
-        console.log("benchmarking " + name + " performance ...\n");
-    })
-    .on("error", function(err) {
-        console.log("ERROR:", err);
-    })
-    .on("cycle", function(event) {
-        console.log(String(event.target));
-    })
-    .on("complete", function(event) {
-        var fastest = this.filter('fastest'),
-            slowest = this.filter('slowest');
-        var fastestHz = getHz(fastest[0]);
-        console.log("\n" + chalk.white(pad(fastest[0].name, padSize)) + " was " + chalk.green("fastest"));
-        benches.forEach(function(bench) {
-            if (fastest.indexOf(bench) > -1)
-                return;
-            var hz = hz = getHz(bench);
-            var percent = (1 - (hz / fastestHz)) * 100;
-            console.log(chalk.white(pad(bench.name, padSize)) + " was " + chalk.red(percent.toFixed(1)+'% slower'));
-        });
-        console.log();
-    });
-}
-
-function getHz(bench) {
-    return 1 / (bench.stats.mean + bench.stats.moe);
-}
-
-function pad(str, len, l) {
-    while (str.length < len)
-        str = l ? str + " " : " " + str;
-    return str;
-}
+});

bench/suite.js

@@ -0,0 +1,45 @@
+var benchmark = require("benchmark"),
+    chalk     = require("chalk");
+
+var padSize = 27;
+
+module.exports = function newSuite(name) {
+    var benches = [];
+    return new benchmark.Suite(name)
+    .on("add", function(event) {
+        benches.push(event.target);
+    })
+    .on("start", function() {
+        console.log("benchmarking " + name + " performance ...\n");
+    })
+    .on("error", function(err) {
+        console.log("ERROR:", err);
+    })
+    .on("cycle", function(event) {
+        console.log(String(event.target));
+    })
+    .on("complete", function(event) {
+        var fastest = this.filter('fastest'),
+            slowest = this.filter('slowest');
+        var fastestHz = getHz(fastest[0]);
+        console.log("\n" + chalk.white(pad(fastest[0].name, padSize)) + " was " + chalk.green("fastest"));
+        benches.forEach(function(bench) {
+            if (fastest.indexOf(bench) > -1)
+                return;
+            var hz = hz = getHz(bench);
+            var percent = (1 - (hz / fastestHz)) * 100;
+            console.log(chalk.white(pad(bench.name, padSize)) + " was " + chalk.red(percent.toFixed(1)+'% slower'));
+        });
+        console.log();
+    });
+}
+
+function getHz(bench) {
+    return 1 / (bench.stats.mean + bench.stats.moe);
+}
+
+function pad(str, len, l) {
+    while (str.length < len)
+        str = l ? str + " " : " " + str;
+    return str;
+}

bench/write.js

@@ -0,0 +1,45 @@
+var protobuf = require("../src/index"),
+    newSuite = require("./suite");
+
+newSuite("float")
+.add("Writer#float", function() {
+    var writer = new protobuf.Writer();
+    writer.float(0.1);
+    writer.finish();
+})
+.add("BufferWriter#float", function() {
+    var writer = new protobuf.BufferWriter();
+    writer.float(0.1);
+    writer.finish();
+})
+.run();
+
+newSuite("double")
+.add("Writer#double", function() {
+    var writer = new protobuf.Writer();
+    writer.double(0.1);
+    writer.finish();
+})
+.add("BufferWriter#double", function() {
+    var writer = new protobuf.BufferWriter();
+    writer.double(0.1);
+    writer.finish();
+})
+.run();
+
+var bytes = [0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0];
+var arrayBytes = new Uint8Array(bytes);
+var bufferBytes = Buffer.from(bytes);
+
+newSuite("bytes")
+.add("Writer#bytes", function() {
+    var writer = new protobuf.Writer();
+    writer.bytes(arrayBytes);
+    writer.finish();
+})
+.add("BufferWriter#bytes", function() {
+    var writer = new protobuf.BufferWriter();
+    writer.bytes(bufferBytes);
+    writer.finish();
+})
+.run();

src/index.js

@@ -1,8 +1,6 @@
 "use strict";
 var protobuf = global.protobuf = exports;
 
-var util = require("./util");
-
 /**
  * Loads one or multiple .proto or preprocessed .json files into a common root namespace.
  * @param {string|string[]} filename One or multiple files to load
@@ -54,7 +52,7 @@ protobuf.inherits         = require("./inherits");
 // Utility
 protobuf.types            = require("./types");
 protobuf.common           = require("./common");
-protobuf.util             = util;
+protobuf.util             = require("./util");
 
 // Be nice to AMD
 /* eslint-disable no-undef */