# Optimize zend_string equality check with hash key

- Thread: https://externals.io/message/105090
- Original archive: https://news-web.php.net/php.internals/105090
- Started by Benjamin Coutu on 2019-04-05T07:26:30+00:00
- Messages: 3
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## #105090 — Benjamin Coutu — 2019-04-05T07:26:30+00:00

URL: https://externals.io/message/105090#105090

Hello,

I was surprised to find out that equality checks on zend_string do not take advantage of the fact that in many cases we have a hash key available that can be utilized in a quick bailout path without having to resort to a costly `memcmp` on the value.

I recommend to modify `zend_string_equal_content` like so:

static zend_always_inline zend_bool zend_string_equal_content(zend_string *s1, zend_string *s2)
{
  if (ZSTR_LEN(s1) != ZSTR_LEN(s2)) {
    return 0;
  }

  if (ZSTR_H(s1) && ZSTR_H(s1) != ZSTR_H(s2)) {
    return 0;
  }

  return zend_string_equal_val(s1, s2);
}

Thoughts?

-- 

Benjamin Coutu
ben.coutu@zeyos.com

---

## #105100 — G. P. B. — 2019-04-05T09:00:03+00:00

URL: https://externals.io/message/105090#105100

> Hello,
>
> I was surprised to find out that equality checks on zend_string do not
> take advantage of the fact that in many cases we have a hash key available
> that can be utilized in a quick bailout path without having to resort to a
> costly `memcmp` on the value.
>
> I recommend to modify `zend_string_equal_content` like so:
>
> static zend_always_inline zend_bool zend_string_equal_content(zend_string
> *s1, zend_string *s2)
> {
>   if (ZSTR_LEN(s1) != ZSTR_LEN(s2)) {
>     return 0;
>   }
>
>   if (ZSTR_H(s1) && ZSTR_H(s1) != ZSTR_H(s2)) {
>     return 0;
>   }
>
>   return zend_string_equal_val(s1, s2);
> }
>
> Thoughts?
>
> --
>
> Benjamin Coutu
> ben.coutu@zeyos.com
>

Best idea would be to do a PR on the GitHub repo.

Best regards

George Peter Banyard

---

## #105152 — Andrea Faulds — 2019-04-08T16:55:36+00:00

URL: https://externals.io/message/105090#105152

Hi Benjamin,

Benjamin Coutu wrote:
>    if (ZSTR_H(s1) && ZSTR_H(s1) != ZSTR_H(s2)) {
>      return 0;
>    }

Should that not be like this?:

     if (ZSTR_H(s1) && ZSTR_H(s2) && ZSTR_H(s1) != ZSTR_H(s2)) {

It would be possible the other string also has no hash value.

Otherwise this sounds sensible to me, but it is also so obvious that I 
was assuming until now that PHP does it, so maybe someone else knows a 
reason why we don't? (Maybe it's just not worth the extra branches?)

Thanks,
Andrea