Profiling Tools Overview

Build Information

Current documentation based on build version: 676042 Last updated: 2025-06-21

System Purpose

The Profiling Tools category provides comprehensive performance analysis and debugging capabilities for Don't Starve Together development. These tools enable developers to identify performance bottlenecks, analyze function execution times, optimize audio systems, and maintain high-quality code performance throughout the development process.

Key Responsibilities

• Provide Lua code performance profiling and analysis
• Enable audio system monitoring and optimization
• Support runtime performance measurement and debugging
• Facilitate bottleneck identification and optimization workflows
• Enable memory usage analysis and leak detection

System Scope

This category includes performance analysis tools and audio profiling systems but excludes basic debugging utilities (handled by Debugging Tools) and general development commands (handled by Console Tools).

Architecture Overview

System Components

Profiling tools are designed as specialized analysis systems that can monitor and measure various aspects of game performance without significantly impacting the measured systems.

Data Flow

Performance Event → Data Collection → Analysis Engine → Report Generation
       ↓                 ↓                ↓                  ↓
   Function Call → Time Measurement → Statistical Analysis → Output Format

Integration Points

• System Core: Engine integration for performance monitoring
• Console Tools: Command-line access to profiling functions
• File System: Report generation and data export capabilities
• Audio System: Integration with audio mixing and filtering systems

Recent Changes

Build	Date	Component	Change Type	Description
676042	2025-06-21	Profiler	stable	Current Lua performance profiling system
676042	2025-06-21	Mixer	stable	Current audio mixing and profiling system

Core Profiling Modules

Performance Profiler

Comprehensive Lua code performance analysis and optimization system.

Module	Status	Description	Key Features
Profiler	stable	Lua function profiling system	Time-based profiling, call analysis, performance reports

Audio Mixer

Audio system management and profiling for sound optimization.

Module	Status	Description	Key Features
Mixer	stable	Audio mixing and profiling system	Volume management, filter analysis, audio state profiling

Common Profiling Patterns

Performance Analysis Workflow

-- Create and configure profiler
local profiler = newProfiler("time", 100000)

-- Start profiling session
profiler:start()

-- Execute code to be analyzed
expensive_function()
game_update_loop()

-- Stop profiling and generate report
profiler:stop()
local report = profiler:report()
print(report)

Audio System Profiling

-- Create mixer for audio profiling
local mixer = Mixer()

-- Add performance-optimized mix
mixer:AddNewMix("performance_test", 1.0, 1, {
    ["set_music/soundtrack"] = 0.8,
    ["set_sfx/sfx"] = 1.0,
    ["set_ambience/ambience"] = 0.6
})

-- Monitor audio performance
mixer:PushMix("performance_test")
mixer:Update(dt) -- Monitor in game loop

Comparative Performance Testing

-- Profile multiple implementations
local algorithms = {"algorithm_a", "algorithm_b", "algorithm_c"}

for _, algorithm_name in ipairs(algorithms) do
    local profiler = newProfiler("time")
    profiler:start()
    
    -- Run algorithm multiple times for statistical accuracy
    for i = 1, 1000 do
        execute_algorithm(algorithm_name)
    end
    
    profiler:stop()
    save_profile_report(algorithm_name, profiler:report())
end

Profiling Tool Dependencies

Required Systems

• System Core: Engine integration and performance counters
• Console Tools: Command-line access to profiling functions
• Data Management: Report data persistence and export

Optional Systems

• User Interface: Real-time performance display overlays
• File System: Advanced report storage and analysis

Performance Considerations

Profiling Impact

• Performance profilers introduce 5-15% overhead depending on sampling frequency
• Audio profiling has minimal impact on system performance
• Time-based profiling provides more accurate real-world performance measurements
• Call-based profiling offers detailed function call analysis with higher overhead

Memory Usage

• Profiling data uses circular buffers to prevent memory growth
• Report generation creates temporary data structures for analysis
• Audio profiling maintains minimal memory footprint for real-time operation
• Long profiling sessions automatically manage memory to prevent leaks

Resource Management

• Profiling tools respect system resources and cleanup automatically
• Sample rates can be adjusted to balance accuracy with performance impact
• Audio profiling operates efficiently during real-time gameplay
• Report generation uses asynchronous operations when possible

Development Guidelines

Best Practices

• Use time-based profiling for performance optimization analysis
• Adjust sample delays based on accuracy requirements vs. performance impact
• Exclude frequently called utility functions to reduce profiling noise
• Profile representative workloads for meaningful optimization insights
• Run multiple profiling sessions to account for performance variance

Common Pitfalls

• Leaving profiling tools enabled in production builds
• Using inappropriate sample rates causing measurement bias
• Not accounting for profiler overhead in performance measurements
• Profiling non-representative code paths or artificial test scenarios

Testing Strategies

• Validate profiling accuracy with known performance benchmarks
• Test profiler behavior under various system loads and conditions
• Verify that profiling tools don't interfere with normal game functionality
• Ensure profiling reports provide actionable optimization guidance

Profiling Integration Workflows

Performance Optimization Workflow

1. Baseline Measurement: Establish performance baselines with profiler
2. Bottleneck Identification: Use profiling tools to find performance hotspots
3. Optimization Implementation: Apply optimizations guided by profiling data
4. Validation: Confirm improvements with follow-up profiling analysis

Audio System Optimization

1. Audio Performance Baseline: Measure current audio system performance
2. Mix Analysis: Profile different audio mix configurations
3. Filter Optimization: Analyze audio filter performance impact
4. System Validation: Verify audio optimizations don't affect gameplay

Development Integration

1. Continuous Profiling: Integrate profiling into development workflow
2. Automated Analysis: Set up automated performance regression detection
3. Optimization Tracking: Monitor performance improvements over time
4. Team Communication: Share profiling results and optimization strategies

Profiling Tool Security

Safe Usage Guidelines

• Profiling tools are automatically disabled in production builds
• Profiling data collection respects memory and performance boundaries
• Report generation limits output size to prevent resource exhaustion
• Audio profiling doesn't expose sensitive audio system internals

Access Control

• Profiling tools require appropriate development mode activation
• Performance data access is limited to development environments
• Report generation uses safe file system access patterns
• Profiling commands validate inputs to prevent exploitation

Advanced Profiling Features

Custom Profiling Configurations

• Framework for creating specialized profiling setups
• Integration patterns for domain-specific performance metrics
• Guidelines for extending profiling capabilities for specific systems
• Best practices for custom performance measurement implementations

Profiling Data Analysis

• Statistical analysis tools for profiling data interpretation
• Performance trend analysis and regression detection
• Comparative analysis tools for optimization validation
• Export capabilities for external analysis tools

Troubleshooting Profiling Tools

Common Profiling Issues

Issue	Symptoms	Solution
Profiler not starting	No profiling data collected	Check development mode and profiler state
Inaccurate timing data	Performance measurements seem wrong	Verify sample rates and measurement methodology
High profiling overhead	Significant performance impact	Adjust sample frequency or use different profiling method
Audio profiling errors	Audio system monitoring failures	Check audio system state and mixer configuration

Profiling Tool Debugging

• Verify profiling tool initialization and configuration
• Check that development mode is properly enabled for profiling
• Review profiling methodology for measurement accuracy
• Test profiling tools with minimal system load

Performance Monitoring Integration

Real-time Performance Monitoring

• Integration with game loop for continuous performance tracking
• Automated performance threshold monitoring and alerting
• Real-time performance dashboard integration capabilities
• Performance data streaming for external monitoring systems

Optimization Guidance

• Automated bottleneck identification and optimization suggestions
• Performance pattern analysis and improvement recommendations
• Code optimization guidance based on profiling results
• Best practice recommendations for performance-critical code

Maintenance and Updates

Tool Maintenance

• Regular validation of profiling accuracy with performance benchmarks
• Performance impact assessment for profiling tools themselves
• Documentation updates for new profiling features and methodologies
• Cleanup of deprecated profiling utilities and outdated analysis methods

Tool Evolution

• Addition of new profiling capabilities based on development needs
• Performance improvements for profiling tool efficiency
• Enhanced integration with modern development workflows
• Better analysis capabilities for complex performance scenarios