Understanding Partial Inlining: How Compilers Optimize Functions with Fast and Slow Paths
By
hasheddan
Master baker tier. Every paragraph earns its place on the tray.
Summary
This technical blog post explores partial inlining as a compiler optimization technique, explaining how compilers can selectively inline only certain parts of a function rather than the entire function. The article uses a practical example of a function with fast and slow paths to demonstrate how partial inlining can optimize performance while avoiding code bloat. It discusses the trade-offs between inlining benefits and code size considerations, showing how compilers make intelligent decisions about which parts of functions to inline based on usage patterns and performance characteristics.
Key quotes
· 4 pulledInlining doesn't have to be all-or-nothing!
We've learned how important inlining is to optimisation, but also that it might sometimes cause code bloat.
Let's look at a simple function that has a fast path and slow path; and then see how the compiler handles it.
In this example we have some process function that has a really trivial fast case for numbers in the range 0-100. For other numbers it does something more expensive.
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