lemire

lemire / sea_counters

Public

C library for benchmarking

10
0
100% credibility
Found Apr 29, 2026 at 10 stars -- GitGems finds repos before they trend. Get early access to the next one.
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AI Analysis
C
AI Summary

A header-only C library that lets developers measure hardware performance events such as CPU cycles, instructions, branches, and cache misses on Linux and Apple Silicon macOS.

How It Works

1
🔍 Discover the tool

You're curious why your program runs slowly and find Sea Counters, a simple way to measure how efficiently your code uses the computer's power.

2
📥 Add to your project

You easily include the tool's files in your coding project so it's ready to help check performance.

3
✏️ Set up your test

You pick a piece of your code and prepare it for measurement, like wrapping it in a quick test function.

4
▶️ Run the speed check

You launch the measurement, letting it run your code many times to get reliable results on time and effort.

5
📊 Review the insights

You see clear numbers like average time taken, work completed, and efficiency details to understand what's happening.

🚀 Improve your code

With these facts, you tweak your program to run faster and use less computer power, feeling accomplished.

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AI-Generated Review

What is sea_counters?

Sea Counters is a header-only C library for accessing hardware performance counters—CPU cycles, instructions, branches, branch misses, and cache misses—on Linux via perf events and macOS Apple Silicon via native interfaces. It times code sections, aggregates stats like mean cycles, instructions per cycle, or fastest runs, and includes a simple benchmarking helper to profile functions with tunable repeats and warm-up. Developers get precise, low-overhead metrics to analyze hot paths without external tools.

Why is it gaining traction?

This C benchmarking library skips heavy frameworks, delivering a portable C99/C11 API that integrates via CMake or CPM, unlike Python benchmarking library wrappers or Rust benchmarking library crates that add runtime costs. Its zero-dependency design and aggregate functions (e.g., GHz estimates, IPC ratios) hook performance tinkerers needing quick hardware insights over CLI perf. From Daniel Lemire, it promises reliability in a space crowded with Java benchmarking library and library benchmarking R alternatives.

Who should use this?

Systems C/C++ programmers microbenchmarking kernels or libraries on Linux servers or Apple Silicon laptops. Embed it in github library projects for regression tests on cycles and cache misses, or tune embedded code where tools like Instruments fall short. Avoid if you're in higher-level langs seeking llm benchmarking library or prompt library github simplicity.

Verdict

Solid for niche C benchmarking library use, but 10 stars and 1.0% credibility score signal early maturity—docs are clear, examples run, yet lacks broad testing. Try it for hardware counters if perf access fits; otherwise, stick to established tools.

(198 words)

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