- Make passing the position to `forceValue` mandatory,
this way we remember people that the position is
important for better error messages
- Add pos to all `forceValue` calls
This no longer worked correctly because 'path' is uninitialised when
an exception occurs, leading to errors like
… while importing ''
at /nix/store/rrzz5b1pshvzh1437ac9nkl06br81lkv-source/flake.nix:352:13:
So move the adding of the error context into realisePath().
gives about 1% improvement on system eval, a bit less on nix search.
# before
nix search --no-eval-cache --offline ../nixpkgs hello
Time (mean ± σ): 7.419 s ± 0.045 s [User: 6.362 s, System: 0.794 s]
Range (min … max): 7.335 s … 7.517 s 20 runs
nix eval --raw --impure --expr 'with import <nixpkgs/nixos> {}; system'
Time (mean ± σ): 2.921 s ± 0.023 s [User: 2.626 s, System: 0.210 s]
Range (min … max): 2.883 s … 2.957 s 20 runs
# after
nix search --no-eval-cache --offline ../nixpkgs hello
Time (mean ± σ): 7.370 s ± 0.059 s [User: 6.333 s, System: 0.791 s]
Range (min … max): 7.286 s … 7.541 s 20 runs
nix eval --raw --impure --expr 'with import <nixpkgs/nixos> {}; system'
Time (mean ± σ): 2.891 s ± 0.033 s [User: 2.606 s, System: 0.210 s]
Range (min … max): 2.823 s … 2.958 s 20 runs
mainly to avoid an allocation and a copy of a string that can be
modified in place (ever since EvalState holds on to the buffer, not the
generated parser itself).
# before
Benchmark 1: nix search --offline nixpkgs hello
Time (mean ± σ): 571.7 ms ± 2.4 ms [User: 563.3 ms, System: 8.0 ms]
Range (min … max): 566.7 ms … 579.7 ms 50 runs
Benchmark 2: nix eval -f ../nixpkgs/pkgs/development/haskell-modules/hackage-packages.nix
Time (mean ± σ): 376.6 ms ± 1.0 ms [User: 345.8 ms, System: 30.5 ms]
Range (min … max): 374.5 ms … 379.1 ms 50 runs
Benchmark 3: nix eval --raw --impure --expr 'with import <nixpkgs/nixos> {}; system'
Time (mean ± σ): 2.922 s ± 0.006 s [User: 2.707 s, System: 0.215 s]
Range (min … max): 2.906 s … 2.934 s 50 runs
# after
Benchmark 1: nix search --offline nixpkgs hello
Time (mean ± σ): 570.4 ms ± 2.8 ms [User: 561.3 ms, System: 8.6 ms]
Range (min … max): 564.6 ms … 578.1 ms 50 runs
Benchmark 2: nix eval -f ../nixpkgs/pkgs/development/haskell-modules/hackage-packages.nix
Time (mean ± σ): 375.4 ms ± 1.3 ms [User: 343.2 ms, System: 31.7 ms]
Range (min … max): 373.4 ms … 378.2 ms 50 runs
Benchmark 3: nix eval --raw --impure --expr 'with import <nixpkgs/nixos> {}; system'
Time (mean ± σ): 2.925 s ± 0.006 s [User: 2.704 s, System: 0.219 s]
Range (min … max): 2.910 s … 2.942 s 50 runs
when given a string yacc will copy the entire input to a newly allocated
location so that it can add a second terminating NUL byte. since the
parser is a very internal thing to EvalState we can ensure that having
two terminating NUL bytes is always possible without copying, and have
the parser itself merely check that the expected NULs are present.
# before
Benchmark 1: nix search --offline nixpkgs hello
Time (mean ± σ): 572.4 ms ± 2.3 ms [User: 563.4 ms, System: 8.6 ms]
Range (min … max): 566.9 ms … 579.1 ms 50 runs
Benchmark 2: nix eval -f ../nixpkgs/pkgs/development/haskell-modules/hackage-packages.nix
Time (mean ± σ): 381.7 ms ± 1.0 ms [User: 348.3 ms, System: 33.1 ms]
Range (min … max): 380.2 ms … 387.7 ms 50 runs
Benchmark 3: nix eval --raw --impure --expr 'with import <nixpkgs/nixos> {}; system'
Time (mean ± σ): 2.936 s ± 0.005 s [User: 2.715 s, System: 0.221 s]
Range (min … max): 2.923 s … 2.946 s 50 runs
# after
Benchmark 1: nix search --offline nixpkgs hello
Time (mean ± σ): 571.7 ms ± 2.4 ms [User: 563.3 ms, System: 8.0 ms]
Range (min … max): 566.7 ms … 579.7 ms 50 runs
Benchmark 2: nix eval -f ../nixpkgs/pkgs/development/haskell-modules/hackage-packages.nix
Time (mean ± σ): 376.6 ms ± 1.0 ms [User: 345.8 ms, System: 30.5 ms]
Range (min … max): 374.5 ms … 379.1 ms 50 runs
Benchmark 3: nix eval --raw --impure --expr 'with import <nixpkgs/nixos> {}; system'
Time (mean ± σ): 2.922 s ± 0.006 s [User: 2.707 s, System: 0.215 s]
Range (min … max): 2.906 s … 2.934 s 50 runs
speeds up parsing by ~3%, system builds by a bit more than 1%
# before
Benchmark 1: nix search --offline nixpkgs hello
Time (mean ± σ): 574.7 ms ± 2.8 ms [User: 566.3 ms, System: 8.0 ms]
Range (min … max): 569.2 ms … 580.7 ms 50 runs
Benchmark 2: nix eval -f ../nixpkgs/pkgs/development/haskell-modules/hackage-packages.nix
Time (mean ± σ): 394.4 ms ± 0.8 ms [User: 361.8 ms, System: 32.3 ms]
Range (min … max): 392.7 ms … 395.7 ms 50 runs
Benchmark 3: nix eval --raw --impure --expr 'with import <nixpkgs/nixos> {}; system'
Time (mean ± σ): 2.976 s ± 0.005 s [User: 2.757 s, System: 0.218 s]
Range (min … max): 2.966 s … 2.990 s 50 runs
# after
Benchmark 1: nix search --offline nixpkgs hello
Time (mean ± σ): 572.4 ms ± 2.3 ms [User: 563.4 ms, System: 8.6 ms]
Range (min … max): 566.9 ms … 579.1 ms 50 runs
Benchmark 2: nix eval -f ../nixpkgs/pkgs/development/haskell-modules/hackage-packages.nix
Time (mean ± σ): 381.7 ms ± 1.0 ms [User: 348.3 ms, System: 33.1 ms]
Range (min … max): 380.2 ms … 387.7 ms 50 runs
Benchmark 3: nix eval --raw --impure --expr 'with import <nixpkgs/nixos> {}; system'
Time (mean ± σ): 2.936 s ± 0.005 s [User: 2.715 s, System: 0.221 s]
Range (min … max): 2.923 s … 2.946 s 50 runs
every stringy token the lexer returns is turned into a Symbol and not
used further, so we don't have to strdup. using a string_view is
sufficient, but due to limitations of the current parser we have to use
a POD type that holds the same information.
gives ~2% on system build, 6% on search, 8% on parsing alone
# before
Benchmark 1: nix search --offline nixpkgs hello
Time (mean ± σ): 610.6 ms ± 2.4 ms [User: 602.5 ms, System: 7.8 ms]
Range (min … max): 606.6 ms … 617.3 ms 50 runs
Benchmark 2: nix eval -f hackage-packages.nix
Time (mean ± σ): 430.1 ms ± 1.4 ms [User: 393.1 ms, System: 36.7 ms]
Range (min … max): 428.2 ms … 434.2 ms 50 runs
Benchmark 3: nix eval --raw --impure --expr 'with import <nixpkgs/nixos> {}; system'
Time (mean ± σ): 3.032 s ± 0.005 s [User: 2.808 s, System: 0.223 s]
Range (min … max): 3.023 s … 3.041 s 50 runs
# after
Benchmark 1: nix search --offline nixpkgs hello
Time (mean ± σ): 574.7 ms ± 2.8 ms [User: 566.3 ms, System: 8.0 ms]
Range (min … max): 569.2 ms … 580.7 ms 50 runs
Benchmark 2: nix eval -f hackage-packages.nix
Time (mean ± σ): 394.4 ms ± 0.8 ms [User: 361.8 ms, System: 32.3 ms]
Range (min … max): 392.7 ms … 395.7 ms 50 runs
Benchmark 3: nix eval --raw --impure --expr 'with import <nixpkgs/nixos> {}; system'
Time (mean ± σ): 2.976 s ± 0.005 s [User: 2.757 s, System: 0.218 s]
Range (min … max): 2.966 s … 2.990 s 50 runs
there's a few symbols in primops we can create once and pick them out of
EvalState afterwards instead of creating them every time we need them. this
gives almost 1% speedup to an uncached nix search.
constructing an ostringstream for non-string concats (like integer addition) is
a small constant cost that we can avoid. for string concats we can keep all the
string temporaries we get from coerceToString and concatenate them in one go,
which saves a lot of intermediate temporaries and copies in ostringstream. we
can also avoid copying the concatenated string again by directly allocating it
in GC memory and moving ownership of the concatenated string into the target
value.
saves about 2% on system eval.
before:
Benchmark 1: nix eval --raw --impure --expr 'with import <nixpkgs/nixos> {}; system'
Time (mean ± σ): 2.837 s ± 0.031 s [User: 2.562 s, System: 0.191 s]
Range (min … max): 2.796 s … 2.892 s 20 runs
after:
Benchmark 1: nix eval --raw --impure --expr 'with import <nixpkgs/nixos> {}; system'
Time (mean ± σ): 2.790 s ± 0.035 s [User: 2.532 s, System: 0.187 s]
Range (min … max): 2.722 s … 2.836 s 20 runs
Previously you had to remember to call value->attrs->sort() after
populating value->attrs. Now there is a BindingsBuilder helper that
wraps Bindings and ensures that sort() is called before you can use
it.
nixpkgs can save a good bit of eval memory with this primop. zipAttrsWith is
used quite a bit around nixpkgs (eg in the form of recursiveUpdate), but the
most costly application for this primop is in the module system. it improves
the implementation of zipAttrsWith from nixpkgs by not checking an attribute
multiple times if it occurs more than once in the input list, allocates less
values and set elements, and just avoids many a temporary object in general.
nixpkgs has a more generic version of this operation, zipAttrsWithNames, but
this version is only used once so isn't suitable for being the base of a new
primop. if it were to be used more we should add a second primop instead.
When we check for disappeared overrides, we can get "false positives"
for follows and overrides which are defined in the dependencies of the
flake we are locking, since they are not parsed by
parseFlakeInputs. However, at that point we already know that the
overrides couldn't have possible been changed if the input itself
hasn't changed (since we check that oldLock->originalRef == *input.ref
for the input's parent). So, to prevent this, only perform this check
when it was possible that the flake changed (e.g. the flake we're
locking, or a new input, or the input has changed and mustRefetch ==
true).
This makes sure that values parsed from TOML have a proper size. Using
e.g. `double` caused issues on i686 where the size of `double` (32bit)
was too small to accommodate some values.
calling GC_malloc for each value is significantly more expensive than
allocating a bunch of values at once with GC_malloc_many. "a bunch" here
is a GC block size, ie 16KiB or less.
this gives a 1.5% performance boost when evaluating our nixos system.
tested with
nix eval --raw --impure --expr 'with import <nixpkgs/nixos> {}; system'
# on master
Time (mean ± σ): 3.335 s ± 0.007 s [User: 2.774 s, System: 0.293 s]
Range (min … max): 3.315 s … 3.347 s 50 runs
# with this change
Time (mean ± σ): 3.288 s ± 0.006 s [User: 2.728 s, System: 0.292 s]
Range (min … max): 3.274 s … 3.307 s 50 runs
Lily Foster
Yorick