Tracing JITs in PyPy: A Pragmatic Choice?
2025-01-10
This post delves into the advantages and disadvantages of tracing JIT compilers, specifically focusing on their implementation within PyPy. Tracing JITs, which generate code by tracing program execution, offer benefits when handling complex languages like Python, effectively slicing through layers of abstraction and reducing overhead. However, they also suffer from performance instability and edge cases. Based on two decades of experience with PyPy, the author provides a nuanced analysis of tracing JITs' suitability, comparing them to method-based JITs. The conclusion suggests that, within PyPy's meta-JIT context and given its resource constraints, tracing remains a relatively pragmatic approach.
(pypy.org)
Development
tracing JIT