var bigIntL = 1000000nvar bigIntM = 50nvar bigInt2 = 2nvar numberL = 1000000var numberM = 50var number2 = 2a = bigIntLb = bigIntMc = a - bc = a % bc = a * bc = a + bc = bigInt2 ** ba = numberLb = numberMc = a - bc = a % bc = a * bc = a + bc = number2 ** b--enable-precise-memory-info flag.
| Test case name | Result |
|---|---|
| BigInt | |
| Number |
| Test name | Executions per second |
|---|---|
| BigInt | 4513699.5 Ops/sec |
| Number | 65226244.0 Ops/sec |
The benchmark described in the provided JSON compares the performance of JavaScript's Number type versus BigInt for handling large numeric operations. This comparison is significant due to the differences between how Standard Numbers and BigInts work in JavaScript, especially when dealing with very large integers.
There are two main options being tested:
BigInt: This is a built-in object in JavaScript that provides a way to represent whole numbers larger than 2^53 - 1, which is the limit of the Number type. In this benchmark, operations performed with BigInt involve:
-)%)*)+)**)Number: This is the default numeric data type in JavaScript, which is a double-precision 64-bit binary format IEEE 754 value. Operations with Number in this benchmark are the same as those performed with BigInt.
Pros:
Cons:
Number types without explicit conversion, leading to potential challenges and limitations when integrating with existing codebases or libraries optimized for Number.Pros:
Number. Most mathematical operations are optimized for this type.Cons:
2^53 - 1). Beyond this, precision errors may occur, which can be significant in calculations requiring high accuracy.Test Results and Performance: The benchmark results show that the Number type performs significantly better, achieving approximately 65 million executions per second, compared to about 4.5 million executions per second for BigInt. This performance difference is important to consider, especially for applications where processing speed is critical.
Use Cases: Depending on the application, choosing between Number and BigInt will depend on the required range of integer values and performance needs. In a performance-intensive application, where precise handling of small to moderately large integers is sufficient, Number would be preferable. Conversely, applications needing to handle large integers precisely without overflow will benefit from BigInt, despite the performance trade-off.
Libraries: There are JavaScript libraries (e.g., big.js, decimal.js, and bignumber.js) that can handle big numbers with higher precision or perform arithmetic operations efficiently. These libraries can often be tailored for specific use cases, offering additional functionality or performance optimization over built-in types, but they can also introduce larger payloads and dependencies into the project.
Typed Arrays: For specific use cases involving numerical computations that require performance (e.g., game development, scientific applications), JavaScript's Typed Arrays (like Int32Array, Float64Array, etc.) can be used to handle numeric data more efficiently than general-purpose JavaScript arrays.
In conclusion, this benchmark highlights the critical performance differences between Number and BigInt in JavaScript. Developers should analyze the requirements of their applications carefully to choose the appropriate numeric type, keeping in mind both performance characteristics and the underlying mathematical needs.
