This project benchmarks the performance of the following Protocol Buffers libraries for JavaScript and TypeScript:
To run the benchmarks, clone this repository and execute the following script:
./run_all.shThis script installs the dependencies and runs the benchmarks for each library.
- Machine: MacBook Pro 16-inch, 2023
- Chip: Apple M2 Max
- Memory: 64 GB
- macOS: 15.2
- Node.js: 22.13.1
| Library | ops/sec | Average Time (ns) | Margin | Samples |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ts-proto (V1) | 8,078 | 131,998.64 | ±0.58% | 75,759 |
| ts-proto (V2) | 6,972 | 153,027.88 | ±0.58% | 65,348 |
| google-protobuf | 7,578 | 146,999.69 | ±0.82% | 68,028 |
| protobuf-ts | 6,746 | 158,944.02 | ±0.59% | 62,916 |
| Library | ops/sec | Average Time (ns) | Margin | Samples |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ts-proto (V1) | 7,090 | 148,810.31 | ±0.55% | 67,200 |
| ts-proto (V2) | 5,209 | 204,076.29 | ±0.52% | 49,002 |
| google-protobuf | 6,314 | 179,756.73 | ±0.84% | 55,638 |
| protobuf-ts | 4,919 | 216,651.99 | ±0.53% | 46,157 |
Approximately one year ago, we migrated from google-protobuf to ts-proto (V1) to take advantage of its improved performance and modern TypeScript compatibility. With the recent release of ts-proto (V2), we included it in our benchmarks, expecting further performance enhancements. However, the results reveal a performance regression in ts-proto (V2) compared to its predecessor.
ts-proto (V1)achieves the best performance with 8,078 ops/sec and the lowest average latency of 131,998.64 ns.ts-proto (V2)shows a 13.7% decrease in throughput compared to V1, achieving only 6,972 ops/sec, with an average latency of 153,027.88 ns.google-protobufperforms competitively, achieving 7,578 ops/sec, just slightly behindts-proto (V1).protobuf-tslags behind, delivering 6,746 ops/sec and the highest latency of 158,944.02 ns.
ts-proto (V1)leads again, achieving 7,090 ops/sec with an average latency of 148,810.31 ns.ts-proto (V2)suffers a significant 26.5% drop in throughput compared to V1, with only 5,209 ops/sec and a latency increase to 204,076.29 ns.google-protobufperforms better thants-proto (V2)with 6,314 ops/sec, but trails behindts-proto (V1).protobuf-tsranks the lowest, with 4,919 ops/sec and the highest average latency of 216,651.99 ns.
- The migration from
google-protobuftots-proto (V1)last year proved to be a clear performance improvement. - The release of
ts-proto (V2), however, introduces regressions:- Read Inputs: Throughput drops by 13.7%, and latency increases by 16% compared to V1.
- Update Inputs: Throughput drops by 26.5%, and latency increases by 37% compared to V1.
- Despite its age,
google-protobufremains competitive, especially for read operations. protobuf-tsshows consistently poor performance across both tasks, highlighting room for optimization.
While ts-proto (V2) was expected to outperform its predecessor, the benchmarks reveal clear regressions in both throughput and latency. Any potential feature improvements in V2 should be carefully weighed against these performance drawbacks.
For now, ts-proto (V1) remains the best choice for performance in our use case.