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kolkov merged 1 commit into from
Mar 2, 2026
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docs: update purego comparison with verified source claims #29

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14 changes: 8 additions & 6 deletions README.md
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Expand Up @@ -216,21 +216,23 @@ if err != nil {
|---------|-----------|--------|-----|
| C compiler required | No | No | Yes |
| API style | libffi-like (prepare once, call many) | reflect-based (RegisterFunc) | Native |
| Per-call allocations | Zero (CIF reusable) | sync.Pool per call | Zero |
| Struct pass/return | Full (RAX+RDX, sret) | Full | Full |
| Callback float returns | XMM0 in asm | panic | Full |
| ARM64 HFA detection | Recursive (nested structs) | Top-level only | Full |
| Per-call allocations | Zero (CIF reusable) | reflect + sync.Pool per call | Zero |
| Struct pass/return | Full (RAX+RDX, sret) | Partial (no Windows structs) | Full |
| Callback float returns | XMM0 in asm | Not supported (panic) | Full |
| ARM64 HFA detection | Recursive (nested structs) | Partial (bug in nested path) | Full |
| Typed errors | 5 types + errors.As() | Generic | N/A |
| Context support | Timeouts/cancellation | No | No |
| C-thread callbacks | crosscall2 | crosscall2 | Full |
| String/bool/slice args | Raw pointers only | Auto-marshaling | Full |
| Platform breadth | 6 targets | 9+ architectures | All |
| AMD64 overhead | 88–114 ns | ~100 ns | ~140 ns (Go 1.26) |
| Platform breadth | 6 targets | 8 GOARCH / 20+ OS×ARCH | All |
| AMD64 overhead | 88–114 ns | Not published | ~140 ns (Go 1.26 claims ~30% reduction) |

**Choose goffi** for GPU/real-time workloads: struct passing, zero per-call overhead, callback float returns, typed errors.

**Choose purego** for general-purpose bindings: string auto-marshaling, broad architecture support, less boilerplate.

**See also:** [JupiterRider/ffi](https://github.com/JupiterRider/ffi) — pure Go binding for libffi via purego. Supports struct pass/return and variadic functions; requires libffi at runtime.

---

## Known Limitations
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6 changes: 3 additions & 3 deletions docs/PERFORMANCE.md
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Expand Up @@ -257,12 +257,12 @@ FFI overhead: 0.0001ms = 0.001% ✅

| Aspect | goffi | purego |
|--------|-------|-------|
| **Overhead** | ~100 ns | ~100-150 ns |
| **Per-call allocations** | Zero (CIF reused) | sync.Pool per call |
| **Overhead** | ~100 ns | Not published |
| **Per-call allocations** | Zero (CIF reused) | reflect dispatch + sync.Pool per call |
| **Type Safety** | ✅ TypeDescriptor validation | Go reflect.Type |
| **Error Handling** | ✅ 5 typed errors | Generic errors |
| **Callback float returns** | ✅ XMM0 in asm | ❌ panic |
| **ARM64 HFA** | Recursive struct walk | Top-level only |
| **ARM64 HFA** | Recursive struct walk | Partial recursive (bug in nested path) |
| **Context support** | ✅ Timeouts/cancellation | ❌ |
| **Platforms** | 5 (quality focus) | 9+ (breadth focus) |

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