Ruby Performance Optimization: Rethinking C Extensions

2023/08/29

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The article discusses the common practice of rewriting slow Ruby code as C extensions for performance optimization. However, the author suggests reconsidering this approach and explores the idea of maintaining a pure Ruby codebase instead. The article highlights YJIT, a performance optimization tool in Ruby, which can improve code speed by adapting to runtime behavior. The author argues that YJIT's optimizations may be more effective than dropping down to C. The article also delves into the challenges and downsides of writing native extensions in Ruby, using the example of parsing GraphQL in the GraphQL Ruby gem. The article concludes by discussing the limitations of YJIT optimizations when dealing with native code. Overall, the article provides insights into alternative approaches for Ruby performance optimization and encourages developers to explore the potential of pure Ruby codebases.