Memory management and optimisation in Ruby on Rails
Hi, This is Shubham Mishra from India, this is the part of Ruby on Rails exploration journey. In this post we will discuss about the ruby's some special concepts and I am sure you will get excited to make your hands dirty with those code, so why to wait let's get started...
The process of allocating and releasing memory for variables and objects in a computer language is known as memory management. The garbage collector, which automatically releases memory that is no longer needed by programme objects, manages memory in the Ruby programming language. The mark-and-sweep algorithm is used by Ruby's garbage collector to decide which memory objects are still in use and which ones can be released. The method searches through every memory object and flags it as "live" if the programme is currently using it. If an object is not designated as "live," it is then treated as garbage and released from memory. Because inefficient memory utilisation can cause a programme to slow down or even crash if it runs out of memory, it is crucial to create code with memory performance in mind. In order to prevent these problems, programmers should aim to create as few objects as possible, reuse existing objects whenever possible, and make sure that objects are correctly deallocated when they are no longer required. I have also faced a lot of issues in production because of inefficient code running during peak hours, specially festival time. Here are a few tips for writing memory-efficient code in Ruby: 1. Avoid creating unnecessary objects: For example, don't create a new string object every time you concatenate strings. Instead, use the << or += operators to modify an existing string object. 2. Reuse objects where possible: For example, use object pools to reuse frequently-used objects like database connections or network sockets. 3. Avoid large data structures: If you're working with large data sets, consider using data structures like streams or generators to process data in smaller chunks. 4. Ensure proper deallocation: Make sure that objects are properly deallocated when they are no longer needed. For example, if you're working with files or network connections, make sure to close them when you're finished using them. 5. Use symbols instead of strings for hash keys: Symbols are stored in memory only once, whereas every new string is a separate object that takes up memory. So, using symbols for hash keys can help reduce memory usage. 6. Use blocks and iterators instead of loops: In Ruby, loops can create a new scope for each iteration, which can create additional objects and slow down the program. Instead, use blocks and iterators to perform the same operation on each element in a collection. 7. Avoid unnecessary method calls: Each method call creates a new stack frame, which can slow down the program and consume memory. Avoid unnecessary method calls by caching method results or using memoization. 8. Use lazy loading: If you have a large data set, consider using lazy loading to load data only when it's needed. This can help reduce memory usage by only loading the data that's currently being used. 9. Use data compression: If you're working with large data sets, consider using data compression techniques to reduce memory usage. For example, you can compress data using zlib or gzip. 10. Use the right data structures: Choose the right data structure for your program. For example, use arrays for simple lists of data and use hashes for key-value pairs. Using the right data structure can make your code more memory-efficient and improve performance. 11. Avoid unnecessary object copies: When working with objects in Ruby, be aware that some operations, such as passing an object as an argument to a method or assigning it to a new variable, can create a copy of the object. This can consume additional memory and slow down your program. To avoid this, consider using methods that operate on the original object or pass objects by reference instead of by value. 12. Use immutable objects where possible: Immutable objects are objects that cannot be changed once they are created. Because they cannot be modified, they can be safely shared between threads and do not need to be copied. In Ruby, some examples of immutable objects include numbers, symbols, and frozen strings. 13. Use value objects instead of reference objects: Value objects are objects that contain their own data, rather than a reference to another object. Because they do not reference other objects, they can be easily copied without consuming additional memory. In Ruby, some examples of value objects include numbers, strings, and arrays. 14. Minimize object creation: Creating new objects can consume memory and slow down your program. To minimize object creation, consider using object pools or object caches to reuse objects where possible. 15. Optimize memory allocation: By default, Ruby uses a conservative garbage collector that may allocate more memory than necessary. To optimize memory allocation, consider using a custom memory allocator, such as tcmalloc or jemalloc, that can allocate memory more efficiently. 16. Use lazy initialization: When working with complex objects, consider using lazy initialization to defer the creation of those objects until they are actually needed. This can reduce memory usage by only allocating memory for objects that are actually used. 17. Use streaming APIs: When processing large data sets, consider using streaming APIs to process data in small chunks. This can reduce memory usage by allowing you to process data one piece at a time, rather than loading the entire data set into memory. 18. Use thread-safe data structures: When working with multi-threaded applications, be sure to use thread-safe data structures to avoid race conditions and other concurrency issues. Ruby provides several thread-safe data structures, such as the Queue and ThreadSafe gems. 19. Minimize object mutation: Modifying objects can be expensive in terms of memory and CPU usage. To minimize object mutation, consider using immutable objects or minimizing the number of times an object needs to be modified. 20. Avoid global variables: Global variables can be accessed from anywhere in your program, which can make it difficult to keep track of where they are being used. In addition, global variables can consume a lot of memory and slow down your program. To avoid these issues, try to avoid using global variables and instead use local variables or instance variables. 21. Use regular expressions with care: Regular expressions can be powerful tools for string manipulation, but they can also be memory-intensive. To avoid excessive memory usage, be careful when constructing regular expressions and use them judiciously. 22. Use Enumerable methods instead of arrays: Ruby's Enumerable module provides a rich set of methods for working with collections. Whenever possible, use Enumerable methods instead of arrays to minimize memory usage and improve performance. 23. Avoid unnecessary object initialization: Object initialization can be expensive in terms of both memory and CPU usage. To minimize object initialization, avoid creating unnecessary objects and reuse objects where possible. 24. Use stack allocation: Ruby uses a garbage collector to manage memory, but stack allocation can be a more efficient alternative in certain situations. For example, consider using stack allocation for small objects or objects that are created and destroyed frequently. 25. Monitor memory usage: Finally, be sure to monitor the memory usage of your Ruby programs. This can help you identify potential memory leaks or other memory-related issues and allow you to optimize your code accordingly. I hope, above 25 pro tips will help you to write memory efficient Ruby code. Lets now explore some with code exmample. here's an example of bad code in Ruby that could potentially have memory performance issues, and a corresponding example of good code that addresses those issues: The bad code uses recursion to calculate the sum of the first 100,000 integers. However, because it creates a new stack frame for each recursive call, it could potentially consume a large amount of memory and cause a stack overflow error. Whereas good code calculates the same sum using a loop instead of recursion. Because it does not create new stack frames for each iteration, it is less likely to cause a stack overflow error and is generally more memory-efficient. Now lets explore some memory optimisation related to string in ruby: In example 1 above code snippet, Use string interpolation instead of string concatenation: When building strings from multiple parts, use string interpolation instead of string concatenation with the '+' operator. String interpolation creates a new string object with the combined values, while string concatenation creates a new string object for each concatenation operation In example 2, Use frozen strings for constants: If you have strings that won't change, consider using frozen strings instead of regular strings. Frozen strings can be more memory-efficient because they are immutable and can be shared across multiple instances. In example 3, Use symbols for repeated string values: If you have string values that are used repeatedly in your code, consider using symbols instead of strings. Symbols are immutable and can be more memory-efficient than creating new string objects. Hope you learned a lot with this article. You can explore my previous blog: CORS configuration in Ruby on Rails application Or you can explore my other blogs too here,Get to know answers for common search on Google : A blog for posts which can help you for daily life problems, such as where to get free images, Topic suggestion for the blog.
Computer Science algorithms and other knowledge share : A blog for posts such as best search algorithm, Top interview questions for diffrent technologies, knowledge share for some frameworks or programming languages for the interview or in general terms.
My ideas to solve real world problems : A blog where me shared and presented my ideas to solve a real world problems, this will be interesting for me.
Ruby on Rails Web development Blog : As the name suggest, it is the blog for sharing few knowledge about RoR web development framework.
Liked my blogs, wanna to connect:
Thanks for reading this post, Have a good day :)
Comments
Post a Comment