Performance Benchmarks

Last updated: 2024-09-24

Overview

This benchmark compares the performance of THT versus the most popular PHP framework: Laravel.

Why compare a language to a framework?

1) THT takes a “batteries included” approach by providing essential web framework features.

2) Some might be worried that running a transpiled language would be too slow to run in production, and Laravel is arguably the best example of a production-ready PHP framework.

Task

Take a route parameter from the URL.
Loop through a list of 100 sub-templates using incremented values.

// URL
/benchmark/route/1234

What does this test?

The overhead of running the framework or language
URL routing
Template system

The Environment

PHP 8.3 (OPcache enabled)
MacBook Pro 2021 (M1, 32 GB)
MacOS Sonoma 14.4.1
Apache/2.4.58 (Unix)

Benchmark Runner

Apache AB utility
Requests: 1,000
Concurrency: 10 requests
KeepAlive: true

ab -k -c 10 -n 1000 http://localhost:8080/benchmark/route/1234

Benchmark Results

Framework	Requests/sec	(More = Faster)
Laravel	352
THT	5,188

Takeaway

THT performed significantly better than Laravel.

If you’re interested in using THT, you can be reasonably confident that it will be fast enough for most use cases.

Benchmark Code

Laravel

Laravel v11
Default installation
Ran php artisan optimize

file: routes/web.php

<?php

use Illuminate\Support\Facades\Route;

Route::get('/benchmark/route/{pid}', function () {

    $pid = Route::current()->parameter('pid');

    for ($i = 1; $i <= 100; $i += 1) {
        $item = [
            'num'  => $i,
            'name' => $pid . $i,
        ];
        $items[] = $item;
    }

    return view('welcome', ['pid' => $pid, 'items' => $items]);

});

file: resources/views/welcome.blade.php

<!doctype html>
<html>
    <head>
        <title>Route Param Test</title>
    </head>
    <body>
        LAR - Route Param: {{ $pid }}
        <ul>
            @foreach ($items as $item)
                @include('item', $item)
            @endforeach
        </ul>
    </body>
</html>

file: resources/views/item.blade.php

<li>{{ $item['num'] }}: {{ $item['name'] }}</li>

THT

THT v0.8 - Beta
Default installation

file: config/app.jcon

{
    routes: {
        /benchmark/route/{pid}: /test-route.tht
    }
}

file: pages/test-route.tht

fun main {

    $pid = Input.route('pid')

    $items = []
    foreach range(1, 100) as $i {
        $item = {
            num: $i
            name: $pid ~ $i
        }
        $items #= $item
    }

    Output.sendHtml(pageHtml($pid, $items))
}

tem pageHtml($pid, $items) {

    <!doctype html>
    <html>
        <head>
            <title>Route Param Test</>
        </>
        <body>
            THT - Route Param: {{ $pid }}
            <ul>
            --- foreach $items as $item {
                {{ itemHtml($item) }}
            --- }
            </>
        </>
    </>
}

tem itemHtml($item) {
    <li>{{ $item.num }}: {{ $item.name }}</>
}