Programming Language and compiler
Benchmarks

Nim VS Lua benchmarks

Current benchmark data was generated on Mon Apr 14 2025, full log can be found HERE

CONTRIBUTIONS are WELCOME!

[x86_64][4 cores] AMD EPYC 7763 64-Core Processor (Model 1)

* -m in a file name stands for multi-threading or multi-processing

* -i in a file name stands for direct intrinsics usage. (Usage of simd intrinsics via libraries is not counted)

* -ffi in a file name stands for non-stdlib FFI usage

* (You may find time < time(user) + time(sys) for some non-parallelized programs, the overhead is from GC or JIT compiler, which are allowed to take advantage of multi-cores as that's more close to real-world scenarios.)

binarytrees

Input: 18

lang code time stddev peak-mem mem time(user) time(sys) compiler compiler/runtime
nim 2.nim 934ms 16ms 34.6MB 917ms 3ms nim 2.2.2
nim 2.nim 960ms 15ms 34.9MB 947ms 0ms nim/clang 2.2.2
lua 1.lua 3698ms 5.1ms 172.9MB 3550ms 133ms luajit 2.1.0-beta3
lua 1.lua timeout 0.0ms 105.0MB 4950ms 37ms lua 5.4.7

Input: 15

lang code time stddev peak-mem mem time(user) time(sys) compiler compiler/runtime
nim 2.nim 88ms 1.6ms 5.5MB 80ms 0ms nim 2.2.2
nim 2.nim 91ms 2.6ms 5.8MB 80ms 0ms nim/clang 2.2.2
lua 1.lua 305ms 9.6ms 15.8MB 283ms 10ms luajit 2.1.0-beta3
lua 1.lua 819ms 2.0ms 16.9MB 803ms 0ms lua 5.4.7

coro-prime-sieve

Input: 4000

lang code time stddev peak-mem mem time(user) time(sys) compiler compiler/runtime
nim 1.nim timeout 0.0ms 559.4MB 2500ms 2040ms nim 2.2.2
nim 1.nim timeout 0.0ms 555.8MB 2460ms 2080ms nim/clang 2.2.2

Input: 1000

lang code time stddev peak-mem mem time(user) time(sys) compiler compiler/runtime
nim 1.nim 4313ms 32ms 519.8MB 2100ms 1790ms nim/clang 2.2.2
nim 1.nim 4341ms 20ms 519.4MB 2177ms 1743ms nim 2.2.2

fasta

Input: 2500000

lang code time stddev peak-mem mem time(user) time(sys) compiler compiler/runtime
nim 2.nim 187ms 1.4ms 1.5MB 180ms 0ms nim 2.2.2
nim 2.nim 236ms 2.8ms 1.8MB 223ms 0ms nim/clang 2.2.2
nim 1.nim 554ms 2.2ms 1.8MB 453ms 90ms nim/clang 2.2.2
nim 1.nim 575ms 2.2ms 1.5MB 473ms 90ms nim 2.2.2

Input: 250000

lang code time stddev peak-mem mem time(user) time(sys) compiler compiler/runtime
nim 2.nim 21ms 0.6ms 1.5MB 10ms 0ms nim 2.2.2
nim 2.nim 26ms 0.3ms 1.8MB 20ms 0ms nim/clang 2.2.2
nim 1.nim 58ms 0.8ms 1.8MB 40ms 0ms nim/clang 2.2.2
nim 1.nim 61ms 0.3ms 1.5MB 40ms 10ms nim 2.2.2

helloworld

Input: QwQ

lang code time stddev peak-mem mem time(user) time(sys) compiler compiler/runtime
nim 1.nim 1.1ms 0.1ms 1.5MB 0ms 0ms nim 2.2.2
nim 1.nim 1.1ms 0.1ms 1.9MB 0ms 0ms nim/clang 2.2.2
lua 1.lua 1.5ms 0.2ms 2.1MB 0ms 0ms lua 5.4.7
lua 1.lua 1.7ms 0.3ms 2.4MB 0ms 0ms luajit 2.1.0-beta3

lru

Input: 1000 1000000

lang code time stddev peak-mem mem time(user) time(sys) compiler compiler/runtime
nim 2.nim 110ms 0.4ms 1.4MB 100ms 0ms nim 2.2.2
nim 2.nim 114ms 0.7ms 1.9MB 110ms 0ms nim/clang 2.2.2
nim 1.nim timeout 0.0ms 1.3MB 4990ms 0ms nim 2.2.2
nim 1.nim timeout 0.0ms 1.5MB 4990ms 0ms nim/clang 2.2.2

Input: 1000 3000000

lang code time stddev peak-mem mem time(user) time(sys) compiler compiler/runtime
nim 2.nim 326ms 2.2ms 1.4MB 320ms 0ms nim 2.2.2
nim 2.nim 340ms 0.3ms 1.6MB 330ms 0ms nim/clang 2.2.2
nim 1.nim timeout 0.0ms 1.3MB 4990ms 0ms nim 2.2.2
nim 1.nim timeout 0.0ms 1.5MB 4990ms 0ms nim/clang 2.2.2

Input: 100 500000

lang code time stddev peak-mem mem time(user) time(sys) compiler compiler/runtime
nim 2.nim 49ms 0.2ms 1.5MB 40ms 0ms nim/clang 2.2.2
nim 2.nim 52ms 1.4ms 1.3MB 43ms 0ms nim 2.2.2
nim 1.nim 446ms 2.7ms 1.5MB 440ms 0ms nim/clang 2.2.2
nim 1.nim 479ms 2.2ms 1.3MB 470ms 0ms nim 2.2.2

mandelbrot

Input: 5000

lang code time stddev peak-mem mem time(user) time(sys) compiler compiler/runtime
nim 1.nim 386ms 0.2ms 4.7MB 380ms 0ms nim/clang 2.2.2
nim 1.nim 576ms 0.7ms 4.4MB 570ms 0ms nim 2.2.2

Input: 1000

lang code time stddev peak-mem mem time(user) time(sys) compiler compiler/runtime
nim 1.nim 18ms 0.2ms 1.9MB 10ms 0ms nim/clang 2.2.2
nim 1.nim 26ms 0.9ms 1.6MB 20ms 0ms nim 2.2.2

merkletrees

Input: 17

lang code time stddev peak-mem mem time(user) time(sys) compiler compiler/runtime
nim 1.nim 532ms 4.4ms 34.6MB 513ms 0ms nim 2.2.2
nim 1.nim 609ms 7.4ms 34.9MB 593ms 0ms nim/clang 2.2.2
lua 1.lua timeout 0.0ms 107.4MB 4947ms 37ms lua 5.4.7
lua 1.lua timeout 0.0ms 149.3MB 4937ms 50ms luajit 2.1.0-beta3

Input: 15

lang code time stddev peak-mem mem time(user) time(sys) compiler compiler/runtime
nim 1.nim 113ms 0.7ms 9.6MB 100ms 0ms nim 2.2.2
nim 1.nim 134ms 2.0ms 9.9MB 123ms 0ms nim/clang 2.2.2
lua 1.lua 1626ms 22ms 31.1MB 1600ms 13ms luajit 2.1.0-beta3
lua 1.lua 2403ms 68ms 28.8MB 2380ms 10ms lua 5.4.7

nbody

Input: 5000000

lang code time stddev peak-mem mem time(user) time(sys) compiler compiler/runtime
nim 2.nim 319ms 0.9ms 1.8MB 310ms 0ms nim 2.2.2
nim 2.nim 342ms 1.8ms 2.0MB 330ms 0ms nim/clang 2.2.2
lua 4.lua 711ms 0.5ms 2.4MB 700ms 0ms luajit 2.1.0-beta3
lua 4.lua timeout 0.0ms 2.3MB 4990ms 0ms lua 5.4.7

Input: 500000

lang code time stddev peak-mem mem time(user) time(sys) compiler compiler/runtime
nim 2.nim 34ms 0.6ms 1.8MB 30ms 0ms nim 2.2.2
nim 2.nim 38ms 0.5ms 2.0MB 30ms 0ms nim/clang 2.2.2
lua 4.lua 75ms 2.0ms 2.3MB 70ms 0ms luajit 2.1.0-beta3
lua 4.lua 1133ms 38ms 2.3MB 1123ms 0ms lua 5.4.7

nsieve

Input: 12

lang code time stddev peak-mem mem time(user) time(sys) compiler compiler/runtime
nim 1.nim 289ms 6.8ms 41.5MB 277ms 0ms nim 2.2.2
nim 1.nim 329ms 8.1ms 41.8MB 317ms 0ms nim/clang 2.2.2

Input: 10

lang code time stddev peak-mem mem time(user) time(sys) compiler compiler/runtime
nim 1.nim 53ms 2.7ms 11.5MB 40ms 0ms nim 2.2.2
nim 1.nim 56ms 3.9ms 11.8MB 43ms 0ms nim/clang 2.2.2

regex-redux

Input: 2500000_in

lang code time stddev peak-mem mem time(user) time(sys) compiler compiler/runtime
nim 1.nim 1632ms 4.8ms 164.1MB 1603ms 20ms nim/clang 2.2.2
nim 1.nim 1698ms 8.9ms 163.9MB 1667ms 13ms nim 2.2.2

Input: 250000_in

lang code time stddev peak-mem mem time(user) time(sys) compiler compiler/runtime
nim 1.nim 172ms 1.7ms 20.9MB 160ms 0ms nim/clang 2.2.2
nim 1.nim 178ms 1.9ms 20.6MB 163ms 0ms nim 2.2.2

spectral-norm

Input: 8000

lang code time stddev peak-mem mem time(user) time(sys) compiler compiler/runtime
nim 1.nim 3587ms 0.7ms 1.6MB 3580ms 0ms nim/clang 2.2.2
nim 1.nim 3592ms 2.0ms 1.4MB 3580ms 0ms nim 2.2.2
lua 1.lua 4064ms 3.3ms 2.5MB 4053ms 0ms luajit 2.1.0-beta3
lua 1.lua timeout 0.0ms 2.4MB 4990ms 0ms lua 5.4.7

Input: 4000

lang code time stddev peak-mem mem time(user) time(sys) compiler compiler/runtime
nim 1.nim 900ms 0.9ms 1.5MB 890ms 0ms nim/clang 2.2.2
nim 1.nim 902ms 2.5ms 1.3MB 890ms 0ms nim 2.2.2
lua 1.lua 1022ms 2.6ms 2.4MB 1013ms 0ms luajit 2.1.0-beta3
lua 1.lua timeout 0.0ms 2.3MB 4990ms 0ms lua 5.4.7

Input: 2000

lang code time stddev peak-mem mem time(user) time(sys) compiler compiler/runtime
nim 1.nim 227ms 0.4ms 1.5MB 220ms 0ms nim/clang 2.2.2
nim 1.nim 227ms 1.0ms 1.3MB 220ms 0ms nim 2.2.2
lua 1.lua 260ms 3.0ms 2.3MB 250ms 0ms luajit 2.1.0-beta3
lua 1.lua timeout 0.0ms 2.0MB 4990ms 0ms lua 5.4.7