Tips for determining the memory consumption of a JavaScript code snippet

Question

Tips for determining the memory consumption of a JavaScript code snippet

Both JavaScript code achieves the same task of merging the second array into the first one. I have come across various sources claiming that Option 2 is more memory efficient.

Is there a way or a tool available for me to verify and actually see if the memory usage in Option 2 is lower?

Option 1

//Consumes a large amount of memory
var array1 = [1, 2, 3]; 
var array2 = [4, 5, 6]; 
console.log(array1.concat(array2));

Option 2

//Reduces memory usage
var array1 = [1, 2, 3]; 
var array2 = [4, 5, 6]; 
console.log(array1.push.apply(array1, array2));

I attempted to use this method from with node.js code, but it wasn't very helpful. I also experimented with https://github.com/paulirish/memory-stats.js but it doesn't seem to work as expected.

javascript arrays memory

Answer 1

Answer №1

It's important to note that your premise is incorrect - both scripts do not achieve the same task.

The first option creates a new result array with 6 elements, without modifying either array1 or array2. (Refer to the documentation for Array.prototype.concat().)

var array1 = [1, 2, 3]; 
var array2 = [4, 5, 6]; 
console.log(array1.concat(array2)); // [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6]
console.log(array1);  // [1, 2, 3]
console.log(array2);  // [4, 5, 6]

In contrast, the second option merges the contents of array2 into array1. (Refer to the documentation for Array.prototype.push().)

var array1 = [1, 2, 3]; 
var array2 = [4, 5, 6]; 
console.log(array1.push.apply(array1, array2)); // 6
console.log(array1);  // [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6]
console.log(array2);  // [4, 5, 6]

Thus, the second option utilizes only 9 array elements in total, while the first option requires 12. In terms of memory efficiency at a language level, option 2 outperforms option 1 by being 25% more efficient. The actual usage of memory by the JavaScript engine can vary based on implementation specifics. It's worth noting that contrived examples like these may not always provide accurate results when testing performance, as JavaScript interpreters within engines often apply optimizations and work differently.

Answer 2

It's important to note that your premise is incorrect - both scripts do not achieve the same task.

The first option creates a new result array with 6 elements, without modifying either array1 or array2. (Refer to the documentation for Array.prototype.concat().)

var array1 = [1, 2, 3]; 
var array2 = [4, 5, 6]; 
console.log(array1.concat(array2)); // [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6]
console.log(array1);  // [1, 2, 3]
console.log(array2);  // [4, 5, 6]

In contrast, the second option merges the contents of array2 into array1. (Refer to the documentation for Array.prototype.push().)

var array1 = [1, 2, 3]; 
var array2 = [4, 5, 6]; 
console.log(array1.push.apply(array1, array2)); // 6
console.log(array1);  // [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6]
console.log(array2);  // [4, 5, 6]

Thus, the second option utilizes only 9 array elements in total, while the first option requires 12. In terms of memory efficiency at a language level, option 2 outperforms option 1 by being 25% more efficient. The actual usage of memory by the JavaScript engine can vary based on implementation specifics. It's worth noting that contrived examples like these may not always provide accurate results when testing performance, as JavaScript interpreters within engines often apply optimizations and work differently.

Tips for determining the memory consumption of a JavaScript code snippet

Answer №1

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