bpf_performance

A set of platform-agnostic tools to measure the performance of various BPF helper functions.

Overview

Tests are defined as BPF programs, each consisting of a map_state_preparation phase and a test phase. These tests are described in a YAML file.

As an example:

tests:
  - name: Baseline
    description: The Baseline test with an empty eBPF program.
    elf_file: baseline.o
    iteration_count: 10000000
    program_cpu_assignment:
      baseline_program: all

  - name: Hash-table Map Read
    description: Tests reading from a BPF_MAP_TYPE_HASH map.
    elf_file: generic_map.o
    map_state_preparation:
      program: prepare_HASH_state_generic_read
      iteration_count: 1024
    iteration_count: 10000000
    program_cpu_assignment:
      read_HASH: all

  - name: Hash-table Map Update / Read
    description: Tests reading and writing to a BPF_MAP_TYPE_HASH map.
    elf_file: generic_map.o
    map_state_preparation:
      program: prepare_HASH_state_generic_read
      iteration_count: 1024
    iteration_count: 10000000
    program_cpu_assignment:
      update_HASH: [0]
      read_HASH: remaining

Test programs can be pinned to specific CPUs to permit mixed behavior tests, such as concurrent reads and updates to a map.

Building

To build the project:

cmake -B build -S .
cmake --build build

This build process works on both Windows (using eBPF for Windows) and Linux.

For Linux, you need the following packages:

gcc-multilib
libbpf-dev
Clang / llvm

For Windows, you need the following tools:

Nuget
Clang / LLVM

Running the tests

To run the tests on Linux:

cd build/bin
sudo ./bpf_performance_runner tests.yml

On Windows (after installing eBPF for Windows MSI):

cd build\bin\Debug
.\bpf_performance_runner tests.yml

Contributing

This project welcomes contributions and suggestions. Most contributions require you to agree to a Contributor License Agreement (CLA) declaring that you have the right to, and actually do, grant us the rights to use your contribution. For details, visit https://cla.opensource.microsoft.com.

When you submit a pull request, a CLA bot will automatically determine whether you need to provide a CLA and decorate the PR appropriately (e.g., status check, comment). Simply follow the instructions provided by the bot. You will only need to do this once across all repos using our CLA.

This project has adopted the Microsoft Open Source Code of Conduct. For more information see the Code of Conduct FAQ or contact opencode@microsoft.com with any additional questions or comments.

Trademarks