Let's break down what's being tested in this benchmark.

Overview

The benchmark is designed to measure the performance of two approaches for rendering HTML templates in JavaScript: using template literals (template strings) and using document.createElement with innerHTML.

Template Literals vs. Document.createElement

Both approaches aim to render an HTML string into a DOM element, but they differ in how they achieve this.

Template Literals

The first test case uses template literals (````) to create the HTML string. Template literals are a feature introduced in ECMAScript 2015 (ES6) that allows you to embed expressions inside string literals using backticks (`).

In this benchmark, the tpl.innerHTML property is set to the template literal string, which is then rendered into the DOM.

Document.createElement

The second test case uses document.createElement with innerHTML to create the HTML string. This approach involves:

1. Creating a new <template> element using document.createElement('template').
2. Setting the innerHTML property of the template element to the HTML string.
3. Retrieving the first child element of the template element using tpl.content.firstElementChild.
4. Cloning the child element and appending it to the document's root element using document.documentElement.appendChild(el.cloneNode()).

Pros and Cons

Template Literals:

Pros:

• More concise and readable code
• No need to create a separate DOM element for rendering

Cons:

• May not be supported in older browsers or environments
• Can be slower due to the overhead of parsing the template string

Document.createElement:

Pros:

• Wide browser support (even older versions)
• Can provide more control over the rendering process

Cons:

• Requires creating a separate DOM element, which can lead to additional overhead
• May require more complex code for rendering and cloning elements

Library Usage

There is no library usage in this benchmark.

Special JS Features/Syntax

The template literal feature (``) introduced in ES6 is being used here. Note that the document.createElement('template') syntax is also a recent addition to JavaScript, allowing you to create <template> elements programmatically.

Alternatives

Other approaches for rendering HTML templates include:

• Using a dedicated templating engine like Handlebars or Mustache.
• Utilizing a library like React or Vue.js for building user interfaces.
• Leveraging browser-specific APIs like HTML Import (for importing and rendering HTML modules).

Keep in mind that the choice of approach depends on the specific use case, performance requirements, and personal preference.