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json2xml Benchmark Results

Comprehensive performance comparison between all json2xml implementations.

Test Environment

  • Machine: Apple Silicon (arm64)
  • OS: macOS 26.4.1 (Darwin 25.4.0)
  • Python: 3.14.4
  • Date: April 24, 2026

Implementations Tested

Implementation Type Notes
Python Library Pure Python (json2xml)
Rust Library Native extension via PyO3 (json2xml-rs)
Go CLI Standalone binary (json2xml-go)
Zig CLI Standalone binary (json2xml-zig)

Test Data

Size Description Bytes
Small Simple object {"name": "John", "age": 30, "city": "New York"} 47
Medium 10 generated records with nested structures 3,212
bigexample.json Real-world patent data 2,018
Large 100 generated records with nested structures 32,207
Very Large 1,000 generated records with nested structures 323,148

Results

Performance Summary

Test Case Python Rust Go Zig
Small (47B) 31.49µs 0.55µs 4.09ms 2.02ms
Medium (3.2KB) 1.69ms 16.15µs 4.07ms 2.09ms
bigexample (2KB) 819.86µs 6.44µs 4.37ms 2.11ms
Large (32KB) 17.97ms 168.21µs 4.10ms 2.42ms
Very Large (323KB) 183.33ms 1.42ms 4.20ms 5.12ms

Speedup vs Pure Python

Test Case Rust Go Zig
Small (47B) 56.8x 0.0x* 0.0x*
Medium (3.2KB) 105.0x 0.4x* 0.8x*
bigexample (2KB) 127.2x 0.2x* 0.4x*
Large (32KB) 106.8x 4.4x 7.4x
Very Large (323KB) 129.0x 43.6x 35.8x

*CLI tools have process spawn overhead (~2-4ms) which dominates for small inputs.

Key Observations

1. Rust Extension is the Best Choice for Python Users 🦀

The Rust extension (json2xml-rs) provides:

  • ~57-129x faster conversion than pure Python in this run
  • Zero process overhead - called directly from Python
  • Automatic fallback - pure Python used if Rust is unavailable or a feature requires it
  • Easy install: pip install json2xml[fast]

2. Go Excels for Very Large CLI Workloads 🚀

For very large inputs (323KB+):

  • 43.6x faster than Python
  • But ~4ms startup overhead hurts small file performance
  • Best for batch processing or large file conversions from shell scripts

3. Zig is Highly Competitive for CLI Use ⚡

In this run:

  • 35.8x faster than Python for very large files
  • 7.4x faster for large files (32KB)
  • Faster startup than Go (~2ms vs ~4ms)
  • Best balance of startup time and throughput for mixed CLI workloads

4. Process Spawn Overhead Matters

CLI tools (Go, Zig) have process spawn overhead:

  • Go: ~4ms startup overhead
  • Zig: ~2ms startup overhead
  • Dominates for small inputs (makes them appear slower than Python)
  • Negligible for large inputs where actual work dominates
  • Rust extension avoids this entirely by being a native Python module

When to Use Each Implementation

Use Case Recommended Why
Python library calls Rust (pip install json2xml[fast]) 57-129x faster, no process overhead
Small files via CLI Zig (json2xml-zig) Fastest startup among native CLIs (~2ms)
Large files via CLI Go or Zig Both excellent; Zig wins at 32KB, Go wins at 323KB in this run
Batch processing Go or Rust Both excellent depending on shell vs Python integration
Pure Python required Python (json2xml) Always available

Installation

# Pure Python (always works)
pip install json2xml

# With Rust acceleration (recommended)
pip install json2xml[fast]

# Go CLI
go install github.com/vinitkumar/json2xml-go@latest

# Zig CLI
# See: github.com/vinitkumar/json2xml-zig

Running the Benchmarks

Comprehensive Benchmark (All Implementations)

python benchmark_all.py

Rust vs Python Only

python benchmark_rust.py

Multi-Python Version Benchmark

python benchmark_multi_python.py

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