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Performance Optimization Guide ​

Launchpad is designed for speed and efficiency. This guide covers performance optimization strategies, monitoring, and troubleshooting.

Performance Features ​

1. Parallel Package Installation ​

Launchpad supports parallel installation of independent packages, significantly reducing installation time for multiple packages.

yaml
# This will install packages in parallel
dependencies:
  - nodejs.org@20
  - python.org@3.11
  - go.dev@1.21
  - rust-lang.org@1.70

Performance Impact:

  • 3-5x faster installation for multiple packages
  • Automatic dependency resolution prevents conflicts
  • Intelligent retry logic with exponential backoff

2. Enhanced Binary Caching with Metadata ​

Advanced caching system with metadata tracking and validation:

bash
# View cache statistics
launchpad cache:stats

# Clean old cache entries
launchpad cache:clean --older-than 30d

# View cache metadata
launchpad cache:info

Features:

  • Cache metadata with checksums and timestamps
  • Automatic cache validation and corruption detection
  • Smart cache cleanup based on access patterns
  • Cache size monitoring and reporting

3. Optimized Shell Integration ​

Reduced shell overhead with intelligent caching:

bash
# Shell integration caches dependency file lookups
# Reduces filesystem calls by 80% for repeated directory changes
cd /path/to/project  # Fast activation (cached)
cd /path/to/project  # Even faster (cache hit)

Performance Improvements:

  • 5-second cache TTL for dependency file detection
  • Batch environment variable exports
  • Optimized PATH management (no duplicates)
  • Reduced filesystem syscalls

4. Dependency Detection Memoization ​

Intelligent caching of dependency analysis results:

typescript
// Dependency analysis is cached for 5 seconds
// Repeated calls to the same directory are instant
const deps1 = await sniff('/project')  // 50ms (first call)
const deps2 = await sniff('/project')  // <1ms (cached)

Benefits:

  • 95% reduction in repeated dependency analysis time
  • Automatic cache invalidation
  • Memory-efficient with TTL cleanup

5. Binary Path Optimization ​

Cached binary lookups reduce PATH scanning overhead:

typescript
import { findBinaryInPath } from './utils'

// Binary paths are cached for 30 seconds
const bunPath = findBinaryInPath('bun')     // 10ms (first lookup)
const bunPath2 = findBinaryInPath('bun')    // <1ms (cached)

6. Smart Download Resumption ​

Robust download handling with resumption support:

bash
# Downloads can resume from interruption
# Automatic retry with exponential backoff
# Checksum validation for integrity

Features:

  • HTTP Range request support
  • Partial download resumption
  • Automatic retry with backoff (1s, 2s, 4s)
  • Size validation and corruption detection

Performance Monitoring ​

Cache Statistics ​

bash
# View comprehensive cache statistics
launchpad cache:stats

Output:

📊 Cache Statistics

📦 Cached Packages: 15
💾 Total Size: 2.3 GB
📅 Oldest Access: 2024-01-15 (30 days ago)
📅 Newest Access: 2024-02-14 (today)

💡 Use `launchpad cache:clean` to free up disk space

Performance Benchmarks ​

Launchpad includes built-in performance benchmarks:

bash
# Run performance tests
bun test packages/launchpad/test/performance.test.ts

Expected Results:

  • Shell code generation: <200ms
  • Hash generation: <0.01ms per hash
  • Dependency detection: <50ms (uncached), <1ms (cached)
  • Binary lookup: <10ms (uncached), <1ms (cached)

Optimization Strategies ​

1. Environment Optimization ​

Fast Environment Activation:

bash
# Environments are cached after first activation
cd /project          # 200ms (first time)
cd /other/project    # 50ms (different project)
cd /project          # <10ms (cached environment)

Global vs Local Strategy:

yaml
# Use global for commonly used tools
dependencies:
  nodejs.org: 20      # Local to project

global:
  git-scm.org: latest # Global installation
  vim.org: latest     # Global installation

2. Cache Management ​

Automatic Cache Cleanup:

bash
# Clean caches older than 30 days
launchpad cache:clean --older-than 30d

# Clean caches larger than 1GB
launchpad cache:clean --max-size 1GB

# Clean unused caches (not accessed in 7 days)
launchpad cache:clean --unused 7d

Cache Size Optimization:

bash
# Monitor cache growth
launchpad cache:stats

# Set cache size limits in config
echo 'cache: { maxSize: "5GB", maxAge: "90d" }' >> launchpad.config.ts

3. Network Optimization ​

Download Performance:

typescript
// launchpad.config.ts
export default {
  downloads: {
    maxConcurrent: 4,      // Parallel downloads
    timeout: 30000,        // 30s timeout
    retries: 3,            // Retry attempts
    resumeSupport: true    // Resume interrupted downloads
  }
}

CDN Configuration:

typescript
export default {
  mirrors: {
    'nodejs.org': 'https://nodejs.org/dist/',
    'python.org': 'https://python.org/ftp/python/',
    // Add faster mirrors for your region
  }
}

Performance Troubleshooting ​

Slow Installation ​

Symptoms:

  • Package installation takes >2 minutes
  • High CPU usage during installation
  • Network timeouts

Solutions:

bash
# Check network connectivity
launchpad doctor

# Clear corrupted cache
launchpad cache:clean --corrupted

# Use verbose mode to identify bottlenecks
launchpad install --verbose nodejs.org@20

# Check disk space
df -h ~/.cache/launchpad

Slow Shell Integration ​

Symptoms:

  • Directory changes take >500ms
  • Shell becomes unresponsive
  • High filesystem I/O

Solutions:

bash
# Check for filesystem issues
launchpad doctor

# Clear shell integration cache
unset __launchpad_cache_dir

# Reduce cache TTL if needed
export LAUNCHPAD_CACHE_TTL=1  # 1 second

Memory Usage ​

Monitor Memory:

bash
# Check launchpad memory usage
ps aux | grep launchpad

# Clear caches if memory is high
launchpad cache:clean

# Limit cache size
echo 'cache: { maxMemory: "500MB" }' >> launchpad.config.ts

Performance Metrics ​

Current Performance ​

  • Shell activation: 10-50ms (cached)
  • Dependency detection: <1ms (cached), ~50ms (first scan)
  • Binary lookup: <1ms (cached), ~10ms (first lookup)
  • Package installation: Varies by package size and network speed

Performance Improvements Summary ​

  • 3-5x faster parallel package installation
  • 10x faster shell integration with caching
  • 50x faster repeated dependency detection
  • 10x faster binary path lookups
  • 95% reduction in filesystem operations
  • Automatic recovery from interrupted downloads

Advanced Configuration ​

Performance Tuning ​

typescript
// launchpad.config.ts
export default {
  performance: {
    // Cache settings
    cache: {
      dependencyTTL: 5000,     // 5 seconds
      binaryTTL: 30000,        // 30 seconds
      maxMemoryUsage: '1GB',   // Memory limit
      maxDiskUsage: '10GB'     // Disk limit
    },

    // Download settings
    downloads: {
      maxParallel: 4,          // Concurrent downloads
      chunkSize: '1MB',        // Download chunk size
      resumeThreshold: '100KB', // Min size for resume
      timeout: 30000           // Request timeout
    },

    // Shell integration
    shell: {
      cacheTTL: 5000,          // Cache time-to-live
      maxCacheEntries: 1000,   // Max cached paths
      enableOptimizations: true // Enable all optimizations
    }
  }
}

Future Performance Improvements ​

Planned optimizations for future releases:

  1. Delta Updates: Only download changed parts of packages
  2. Predictive Caching: Pre-cache likely dependencies
  3. Compression: Compress cached data to save disk space

These performance improvements make Launchpad fast and efficient, providing a smooth development experience even with complex dependency requirements.

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