Efficiency Guide
User's Guide
Version 11.2.2.18
User's Guide
PDF
Top
Expand All
Contract All
Chapters
Introduction
Top of chapter
Purpose
Prerequisites
The Seven Myths of Erlang Performance
Top of chapter
Myth: Tail-Recursive Functions are Much Faster Than Recursive Functions
Myth: Operator "++" is Always Bad
Myth: Strings are Slow
Myth: Repairing a Dets File is Very Slow
Myth: BEAM is a Stack-Based Byte-Code Virtual Machine (and Therefore Slow)
Myth: Use "_" to Speed Up Your Program When a Variable is Not Used
Myth: A NIF Always Speeds Up Your Program
Common Caveats
Top of chapter
Timer Module
list_to_atom/1
length/1
setelement/3
size/1
split_binary/2
Constructing and Matching Binaries
Top of chapter
How Binaries are Implemented
Constructing Binaries
Matching Binaries
Historical Note
List Handling
Top of chapter
Creating a List
List Comprehensions
Deep and Flat Lists
Recursive List Functions
Functions
Top of chapter
Pattern Matching
Function Calls
Memory Usage in Recursion
Tables and Databases
Top of chapter
Ets, Dets, and Mnesia
Ets-Specific
Mnesia-Specific
Processes
Top of chapter
Creating an Erlang Process
Process Messages
SMP Emulator
Drivers
Top of chapter
Drivers and Concurrency
Avoiding Copying Binaries When Calling a Driver
Returning Small Binaries from a Driver
Returning Large Binaries without Copying from a Driver
Advanced
Top of chapter
Memory
System Limits
Profiling
Top of chapter
Do Not Guess About Performance - Profile
Memory profiling
Large Systems
What to Look For
Tools
Benchmarking
Retired Myths
Top of chapter
Myth: Funs are Slow
Myth: List Comprehensions are Slow
Myth: List subtraction ("--" operator) is slow
Efficiency Guide User's Guide
Version 11.2.2.18
March 18, 2024