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7 min read Performance

Performance tips for C++ developers

C++ is a powerful and versatile programming language that is widely used for a variety of applications, including system programming, game development, and scientific computing. However, writing efficient and performant C++ code can be a challenging task, especially when dealing with large and complex projects. In this blog post, we will explore all possible performance optimization techniques for C++ developers, from algorithmic optimizations to low-level code optimizations. We will cover a wide range of topics, including memory management, data structures, parallel processing, and compiler optimizations. Whether you are a seasoned C++ developer or just getting started, this post will provide you with a comprehensive guide to optimizing your C++ code for maximum performance.

Algorithms

Use efficient algorithms and data structures

Make sure you’re using the most efficient algorithms and data structures for the problem you’re solving. For example, if you need to search through a large collection of data frequently, consider using a hash table or a balanced tree instead of a linear search.

Avoid unnecessary copies

C++ is a pass-by-value language, so when you pass an object to a function, a copy is made. This can be expensive, especially for large objects. To avoid unnecessary copies, use references or pointers instead.

void process_string(const std::string& str)
{
    // Do something with the string
}
 
int main()
{
    std::string my_string = "Hello, world!";
    process_string(my_string);  // Pass the string by reference
 
    return 0;
}

In this example, the process_string function takes a const reference to a std::string parameter instead of taking the std::string object itself. This avoids making a copy of the std::string object when it’s passed to the function.

If we had defined process_string like this instead:

void process_string(std::string str)
{
    // Do something with the string
}

Then calling process_string(my_string) would create a copy of my_string, which can be expensive if my_string is large. By using a reference parameter instead, we avoid the copy and improve performance.

Usage of const and constexpr

  1. Use const whenever possible to prevent accidental modification of variables and improve the compiler’s ability to optimize your code.
  2. Use constexpr for values that can be computed at compile-time, which can help the compiler optimize your code further.

Avoid virtual functions

When a virtual function is called on an object, the C++ runtime needs to look up the correct function implementation in a virtual function table, or vtable, which is a data structure that stores pointers to the virtual functions for a class.

This lookup involves following a pointer to the vtable for the object’s class, and then following another pointer in the vtable to the correct function implementation. This extra indirection can cause a small performance overhead compared to non-virtual function calls, which can be called directly without any vtable lookup.

Additionally, virtual function calls can’t be easily inlined by the compiler, since the function to be called may not be known until runtime. Inlining a function can often provide performance benefits by reducing the overhead of the function call itself, but this isn’t possible with virtual functions.

That said, the performance overhead of virtual functions is often small, and they’re a powerful tool for implementing polymorphism and dynamic dispatch in C++. In many cases, the benefits of virtual functions outweigh the performance costs, and it’s generally best to use virtual functions when they’re appropriate for your design.

If possible, use templates or function overloading instead.

Use optimizations flags

Most compilers have optimization flags that can significantly improve performance. For example, use -O3 with GCC or Clang to enable the highest level of optimization.

GCC provides a wide range of optimization flags that can help you optimize your C++ code. Here are some of the most commonly used optimization flags:

  1. -O: Enables basic optimization that can improve code size and execution time.
  2. -O1, -O2, -O3: Enables progressively more aggressive optimization levels that can improve code performance, but may also increase compilation time and code size.
  3. -Os: Optimizes for code size by performing aggressive code optimizations that reduce the size of the executable.
  4. -Ofast: Enables aggressive optimization that can improve code performance, but may also sacrifice accuracy and correctness in certain cases.
  5. -march: Specifies the target processor architecture for code generation, allowing the compiler to generate code that takes advantage of specific processor features.
  6. -mtune: Specifies the target processor model for code generation, allowing the compiler to tune the code for a specific processor model.
  7. -funroll-loops: Enables loop unrolling, which can improve performance by reducing the overhead of loop iterations.
  8. -finline-functions: Enables function inlining, which can improve performance by reducing the overhead of function calls.
  9. -fprofile-generate/-fprofile-use: Enables profile-guided optimization (PGO), which uses information from a previous profiling run to optimize the code for improved performance.
  10. -flto: Enables link-time optimization (LTO), which performs optimization across multiple translation units, allowing the compiler to perform more aggressive optimizations.

These are just some of the many optimization flags available on GCC. The specific flags you use will depend on the needs of your application and the target platform you’re optimizing for.

Profile your code

Use a profiler to identify performance bottlenecks in your code. This will help you focus your optimization efforts on the parts of your code that will have the biggest impact.

There are several profiling tools available for profiling C++ code. Here are some popular ones:

  1. Valgrind: Valgrind is a powerful profiling tool that can detect memory leaks, thread errors, and other performance issues. It provides a suite of tools, including Memcheck, which can help you identify memory errors in your C++ code.
  2. Google Performance Tools (gperftools): gperftools is a collection of profiling and performance analysis tools for C++ code. It includes a CPU profiler, a heap profiler, and a heap-checker tool that can help you identify memory leaks and other memory errors.
  3. Intel VTune: Intel VTune is a performance analysis tool that can help you analyze and optimize the performance of C++ code running on Intel processors. It provides a wide range of profiling features, including CPU profiling, memory profiling, and thread profiling.
  4. Linux perf: Linux perf is a performance analysis tool that is included in the Linux kernel. It provides a suite of profiling tools, including CPU profiling, memory profiling, and kernel tracing, that can help you identify performance bottlenecks in your C++ code.

Optimize for target platform

Make sure you’re optimizing your code for the platform it will run on. This includes using platform-specific optimizations and avoiding platform-specific inefficiencies.

To optimize your C++ code for target platforms, you can follow these steps:

  1. Understand the target platform: To optimize for a specific platform, you need to understand its hardware architecture, instruction set, memory hierarchy, and other performance characteristics. This can help you identify performance bottlenecks and opportunities for optimization.
  2. Use platform-specific optimization flags: Most compilers support platform-specific optimization flags that can help you optimize your code for a specific platform. For example, GCC supports the -march and -mtune flags, which allow you to specify the target processor architecture and tune the code for a specific processor model, respectively.
  3. Use SIMD instructions: Single Instruction Multiple Data (SIMD) instructions can help you perform the same operation on multiple data elements simultaneously, which can significantly improve performance for certain types of computations. Most modern processors support SIMD instructions through instruction sets such as SSE, AVX, or NEON.

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