Python Performance Optimization
Profiling Quick Start
bash
# PyInstrument (statistical, readable output) python -m pyinstrument script.py # cProfile (detailed, built-in) python -m cProfile -s cumulative script.py # Memory profiling pip install memray memray run script.py memray flamegraph memray-*.bin
PyInstrument Usage
python
from pyinstrument import Profiler profiler = Profiler() profiler.start() result = my_function() profiler.stop() print(profiler.output_text(unicode=True, color=True))
Memory Analysis
python
import tracemalloc
tracemalloc.start()
# ... code ...
snapshot = tracemalloc.take_snapshot()
for stat in snapshot.statistics('lineno')[:10]:
print(stat)
Benchmarking (pytest-benchmark)
python
def test_encode_benchmark(benchmark):
result = benchmark(encode, 37.7749, -122.4194)
assert len(result) == 12
bash
pytest tests/ --benchmark-only pytest tests/ --benchmark-compare
Common Optimizations
python
# Use set for membership (O(1) vs O(n))
valid = set(items)
if item in valid: ...
# Use deque for queue operations
from collections import deque
queue = deque()
queue.popleft() # O(1) vs list.pop(0) O(n)
# Use generators for large data
def process(items):
for item in items:
yield transform(item)
# Cache expensive computations
from functools import lru_cache
@lru_cache(maxsize=1000)
def expensive(x):
return compute(x)
# String building
result = "".join(str(x) for x in items) # Not += in loop
Algorithm Complexity
| Operation | list | set | dict |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lookup | O(n) | O(1) | O(1) |
| Insert | O(1) | O(1) | O(1) |
| Delete | O(n) | O(1) | O(1) |
For detailed strategies, see:
- •PROFILING.md - Advanced profiling techniques
- •BENCHMARKS.md - CI benchmark regression testing
Optimization Checklist
code
Before Optimizing: - [ ] Confirm there's a real problem - [ ] Profile to find actual bottleneck - [ ] Establish baseline measurements Process: - [ ] Algorithm improvements first - [ ] Then data structures - [ ] Then implementation details - [ ] Measure after each change After: - [ ] Add benchmarks to prevent regression - [ ] Verify correctness unchanged - [ ] Document why optimization needed