Structs vs. Classes: When Should I Prioritize Performance and Efficiency?

Structs vs. Classes for Performance and Efficiency

When creating numerous small objects with a limited number of properties, developers often face the dilemma of whether to use structs or classes. This question becomes particularly relevant for objects stored in generic lists and accessed frequently for property evaluation and potential updates.

Performance Comparison

The decision between structs and classes hinges on the specific performance requirements. If speed is paramount, measuring the time taken to create and manipulate objects of both types is crucial. This will reveal which approach provides the optimal performance for the intended scenario.

Structs have an advantage in memory consumption due to their smaller size and improved compaction. However, they are slower to copy compared to reference copies. Thus, the trade-off between memory usage and speed needs to be considered.

Design Considerations

When selecting between structs and classes, the following guidelines should be taken into account:

• Small size: Structs should be preferred for objects that are small and contain only value types.
• Immutability: Structs are ideal for logically immutable values.
• High volume: Structs are efficient when there are a significant number of objects.
• Mutation: If mutation is necessary, consider creating a new constructor that returns a modified struct. This approach simplifies reasoning about object state changes.

Garbage Collection

Heap and stack processing by the garbage collector is distinct. Objects on the stack are always considered alive because they are the roots of the collection. The collector treats them as living objects for determining the live set but doesn't compact them since they're not located on the heap.

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