Benchmark: __proto__: null vs Object create null

Tests:

__proto__: null
for(let i=300;i--;)var a={__proto__:null}
Object create null
for(let i=300;i--;)var a=Object.create(null)

Rendered benchmark preparation results:

Suite status: <idle, ready to run>

Previous results

Test case name	Result
__proto__: null
Object create null

Fastest: N/A

Slowest: N/A

Latest run results:

Run details: (Test run date: 5 days ago)

User agent: Mozilla/5.0 (X11; Linux x86_64) AppleWebKit/537.36 (KHTML, like Gecko) Chrome/131.0.0.0 Safari/537.36

Browser/OS: Chrome 131 on Linux

View result in a separate tab

Test name	Executions per second
__proto__: null	54802.8 Ops/sec
Object create null	93864.0 Ops/sec

Autogenerated LLM Summary (model gpt-4o-mini, generated 12 days ago):

LLMs can make mistakes. Check important info.

The benchmark you're examining evaluates the performance of two different methods for creating objects in JavaScript that do not inherit from any prototypes. The methods being compared are:

1. **Using `__proto__: null`** 
2. **Using `Object.create(null)`**

### Test Cases
1. **`__proto__: null`**: This syntax is a way to create an object with no prototype. By using `__proto__: null`, you create an object literal that does not inherit from `Object.prototype`, meaning it won't have access to methods such as `toString` or other prototype methods.
   
   ```javascript
   for(let i=300; i--;) var a = {__proto__: null};
   ```

2. **`Object.create(null)`**: This method is a standard JavaScript function that creates a new object with the specified prototype object and properties. When `null` is passed in, it creates an object with no prototype. This approach is widely recognized for its clarity and intent.
   
   ```javascript
   for(let i=300; i--;) var a = Object.create(null);
   ```

### Performance Results
From the benchmark results, we can observe the following executions per second for each method:

- **`Object.create(null)`**: Approximately **93,990 executions per second**
- **`__proto__: null`**: Approximately **60,303 executions per second**

This indicates that `Object.create(null)` is significantly faster in this scenario.

### Pros and Cons of Each Approach

**1. `__proto__: null`**
   - **Pros**:
     - Concise and straightforward syntax when creating an object.
   - **Cons**:
     - Slightly less performance efficient as shown in the benchmark.
     - Less conventional and might confuse developers who are less familiar with this syntax.
     - Potentially increases the risk of inadvertently misunderstanding inheritance and prototypes in JavaScript.

**2. `Object.create(null)`**
   - **Pros**:
     - Clearly conveys the intent of creating an object without a prototype, enhancing readability.
     - Offers better performance based on the benchmark results.
     - Ensures consistency and is a more recognized practice among developers.
   - **Cons**:
     - Slightly more verbose than the direct object literal method.

### Other Considerations
When choosing between these two approaches, readability and consistency in code should be factored into a developer's decision. While both methods achieve the goal of creating prototype-less objects, using `Object.create(null)` is preferable for long-term maintainability—especially in teams or projects where code clarity is critical.

### Other Alternatives
- Another common way of creating plain objects is using the object literal notation (`{}`), but these objects have `Object.prototype` as a prototype by default, making them unsuitable if a non-inheriting object is desired.
- Additionally, some developers may consider using ES6 class syntax to define prototypes, but this adds unnecessary complexity for the specific task of creating plain objects.

In conclusion, while both methods serve to create objects with no prototype, `Object.create(null)` is generally the preferred choice due to its performance and readability advantages.

Related benchmarks:

proto: null vs Object create null (version: 1)

Comparing performance of: proto: null vs Object create null

Created: 12 days ago by: Guest

Jump to the latest result

proto: null

Object create null

Suite status: <idle, ready to run>

Experimental features:

Fastest: N/A

Slowest: N/A

Autogenerated LLM Summary (model gpt-4o-mini, generated 12 days ago):

__proto__: null vs Object create null (version: 1)

Comparing performance of: __proto__: null vs Object create null

Created: 12 days ago by: Guest

Jump to the latest result

__proto__: null

Object create null

Suite status: <idle, ready to run>

Experimental features:

Fastest: N/A

Slowest: N/A

Autogenerated LLM Summary (model gpt-4o-mini, generated 12 days ago):

proto: null vs Object create null (version: 1)

Comparing performance of: proto: null vs Object create null

proto: null