plurigrid Project Engines Benchmark Skill
======= description: Run and interpret basin-engines benchmarks (Steel, ember, shale) model: haiku
Basin Engines Benchmark Skill
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Run benchmarks for Steel, ember, and shale engines.
CRITICAL: Read Before Benchmarking
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ALWAYS read first: ~/p/benchmark-suite/docs/BENCHMARK_FAIRNESS.md
ALWAYS read first: ~/p/basin-bench/docs/BENCHMARK_FAIRNESS.md
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This document contains hard-won lessons about benchmark fairness. Ignoring it leads to misleading claims.
Pre-Benchmark Checklist
| Check | Why | How |
|---|---|---|
| <<<<<<< HEAD | ||
| Read BENCHMARK_FAIRNESS.md | Contains all fairness lessons | cat ~/p/benchmark-suite/docs/BENCHMARK_FAIRNESS.md |
| ======= | ||
| Read BENCHMARK_FAIRNESS.md | Contains all fairness lessons | cat ~/p/basin-bench/docs/BENCHMARK_FAIRNESS.md |
origin/main | Use
--batchedfor LMDB/redb | 7-24x improvement with proper config | Add--batched --batch-size 1000| | Scale sled cache | Undersized cache = 17x slower | Add--cache-mb 2048for 1M+ records | | Check dataset vs RAM | If data fits in RAM, you're measuring memory | Use larger datasets for I/O testing |
Note: Steel uses verify-once checksums (like RocksDB/WiredTiger) - verify on first read from disk, then trust page cache. Use FileLayoutConfig::fast() to disable checksums entirely for ZFS/ECC storage.
Quick Commands
Steel (Oak engine)
# Build
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cd ~/p/benchmark-suite && graft build --release -p ycsb-steel
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cd ~/p/basin-bench && graft build --release -p ycsb-steel
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# Single-threaded
ycsb-steel --fast --data-dir /tmp/bench --workload a --records 50000 --ops 200000
# Multi-threaded with sharding
ycsb-steel --fast --shards 64 --threads 4 --data-dir /tmp/bench --workload a --records 50000 --ops 200000
# Ultimate adversarial benchmark (vs sled)
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cd ~/p/engine-stack/engines/steel
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cd ~/p/basin-engines/engines/steel
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graft run --release --example ultimate_adversarial
Fair 4-Engine Comparison
# Use the fair comparison script (includes proper batching for all engines)
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RECORDS=50000 OPS=200000 ~/p/benchmark-suite/scripts/steel-fair-compare.sh
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RECORDS=50000 OPS=200000 ~/p/basin-bench/scripts/steel-fair-compare.sh
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Individual Engine Commands (Fair Config)
# Steel
ycsb-steel --fast --workload a --records 50000 --ops 200000 --data-dir /tmp/bench
# sled (scaled cache)
ycsb-sled --high-throughput --cache-mb 256 --workload a --records 50000 --ops 200000 --data-dir /tmp/bench
# LMDB (batched + nosync)
ycsb-lmdb --batched --nosync --batch-size 1000 --workload a --records 50000 --ops 200000 --data-dir /tmp/bench
# redb (batched)
ycsb-redb --batched --batch-size 1000 --workload a --records 50000 --ops 200000 --data-dir /tmp/bench
Steel Results (2025-12-23) - Steel Wins All
Steel now beats LMDB on ALL workloads!
| Workload | Steel | LMDB | redb | sled | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A (writes) | 2.49M | 2.24M | 687K | 744K | Steel +11% |
| B (reads) | 3.01M | 2.90M | 2.05M | 1.55M | Steel +3.8% |
| C (pure read) | 3.03M | 1.79M | 1.05M | 1.81M | Steel +69% |
Optimizations That Closed the Gap
Implemented (see docs/STEEL_OPTIMIZATIONS.md):
get_ref()+8.4% - zero-copy reads (KEY WIN)get_cached_epoch()+1% - thread-local epochget_fast()- seqlock skip (no gain, kept for API)
Gap closed! Previous 43% gap on Workload B eliminated via zero-copy optimization.
Where Steel Actually Wins
| Scenario | Steel Advantage | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Write-heavy (Workload A) | 1.07x vs LMDB | COW efficiency |
| Pure reads (Workload C) | 1.52x vs LMDB | Zero-copy mmap |
| Cold reads after restart | 3x vs sled | No log replay |
| Range scans | 3.4x vs sled | COW pages |
| Simplicity | ~6K LOC vs 20K+ | Easier to understand/debug |
Sharded Write Performance (2025-12-25)
With 64 shards, Steel beats sled by 2.3x:
| Writers | Shards | Steel writes/s | vs sled |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 16 | 3.0M | 149% |
| 4 | 64 | 10.8M | 230% |
| 8 | 64 | 16.8M | 237% |
Where Steel Does NOT Win
| Scenario | Winner | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Multi-key transactions | redb/LMDB | Steel has single-key atomicity only |
| 30+ years production hardening | LMDB | Ecosystem maturity |
Common Mistakes (Avoid These)
| Mistake | What Happens | Fix |
|---|---|---|
Benchmark LMDB without --batched |
7.9x slower | Use --batched --batch-size 1000 |
Benchmark redb without --batched |
24x slower | Use --batched --batch-size 1000 |
| Claim "47x faster than redb" | Misleading | Fair comparison is ~1.9x |
| Small dataset (50MB) | Memory-bound, not I/O | Use 500MB+ for I/O testing |
| Forget to clear between engines | Cache effects | Sleep or clear page cache |
Key Files
| Purpose | Location |
|---|---|
| <<<<<<< HEAD | |
| Steel YCSB | ~/p/benchmark-suite/engines/ycsb-steel/ |
| Fair script | ~/p/benchmark-suite/scripts/steel-fair-compare.sh |
| Fairness docs | ~/p/benchmark-suite/docs/BENCHMARK_FAIRNESS.md |
| Steel benchmarks | ~/p/engine-stack/engines/steel/BENCHMARKS.md |
| Roadmap to #1 | ~/p/engine-stack/engines/steel/ROADMAP_BEST_KV.md |
| Ultimate adversarial | ~/p/engine-stack/engines/steel/examples/ultimate_adversarial.rs |
| ======= | |
| Steel YCSB | ~/p/basin-bench/engines/ycsb-steel/ |
| Fair script | ~/p/basin-bench/scripts/steel-fair-compare.sh |
| Fairness docs | ~/p/basin-bench/docs/BENCHMARK_FAIRNESS.md |
| Steel benchmarks | ~/p/basin-engines/engines/steel/BENCHMARKS.md |
| Roadmap to #1 | ~/p/basin-engines/engines/steel/ROADMAP_BEST_KV.md |
| Ultimate adversarial | ~/p/basin-engines/engines/steel/examples/ultimate_adversarial.rs |
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Dialectical Improvement
When benchmarking, always ask:
- "What would a competitor's maintainer criticize about this benchmark?"
- "Am I using each engine's recommended configuration?"
- "What am I NOT measuring that matters?"
- "Is this result surprising? If so, investigate before publishing."