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---
title: Lua performance in different environments
url: lua-performance-in-different-environments.html
date: 2025-04-11T16:13:13+02:00
type: note
draft: false
tags: []
---
A quick look into difference in performance when running Lua normally vs Luajit
vs Lua embedded in C program.
You can also check code on GitHub
[@mitjafelicijan/probe/c-luajit](https://github.com/mitjafelicijan/probe/tree/master/c-luajit).
Do not take this data as a benchmark, it's just a naive quick checkup.
## Naive and intentionally slow implementation of Fibonacci sequence
```lua
-- Naive recursive implementation to increase the time of computation.
function fibonacci(n)
if n == 0 then
return 0
elseif n == 1 then
return 1
else
return fibonacci(n - 1) + fibonacci(n - 2)
end
end
local n = 40
local result = fibonacci(n)
print("The " .. n .. "th Fibonacci number is: " .. result)
```
## Embedded Lua primer
```sh
#include <lua.h>
#include <lualib.h>
#include <lauxlib.h>
int main(void) {
lua_State *L = luaL_newstate();
luaL_openlibs(L);
if (luaL_loadfile(L, "fibonacci.luac") || lua_pcall(L, 0, 0, 0)) {
fprintf(stderr, "Error: %s\n", lua_tostring(L, -1));
return 1;
}
lua_close(L);
return 0;
}
```
## Quick results
| Lua | Luajit | Lua embedded in C |
|--------|--------|-------------------|
| 6.006s | 1.065s | 1.065s |
## Test script
```sh
#!/usr/bin/env bash
ITERATIONS=120
# Just Lua interpreter
for i in $(seq 1 $ITERATIONS); do
echo "> lua run #$i/$ITERATIONS"
/usr/bin/time -f "%e,%U,%S" lua fibonacci.lua > /dev/null 2>> out.lua.txt
done
# Using Luajit
for i in $(seq 1 $ITERATIONS); do
echo "> luajit run #$i/$ITERATIONS"
/usr/bin/time -f "%e,%U,%S" luajit fibonacci.lua > /dev/null 2>> out.luajit.txt
done
# With C and Luajit
for i in $(seq 1 $ITERATIONS); do
echo "> cluajit run #$i/$ITERATIONS"
/usr/bin/time -f "%e,%U,%S" ./fibonacci > /dev/null 2>> out.cluajit.txt
done
```
|
