mirror of https://github.com/Wilfred/difftastic/
Complete comprehensive tree-sitter parser size analysis
Tested 43 of 52 parsers (82.7% coverage) to identify binary size contributors. Replaced initial 7-parser analysis with full results. MAJOR FINDING: Verilog parser alone accounts for 17.33 MB (15.5%)! Top 10 largest parsers (56.97 MB total, 51% of binary): 1. Verilog: 17.33 MB - EXTREME outlier, 3x larger than #2 2. C#: 6.06 MB 3. Julia: 5.98 MB 4. ObjC: 5.09 MB 5. F#: 4.90 MB 6. Kotlin: 3.88 MB 7. Haskell: 3.71 MB 8. C++: 3.68 MB 9. Swift: 3.18 MB 10. TypeScript: 3.16 MB Key insights: - Top 5 parsers = 39.4 MB (35% of binary) - All 43 parsers = 74.1 MB (66% of binary) - Making Verilog optional alone saves 15.5% - Tiered feature flags could reduce binary to ~40-85 MB Recommendations: 1. Immediate: Make Verilog optional (17 MB savings) 2. Short-term: Implement tiered feature system 3. Medium-term: Provide pre-built binaries for common configs Complete data in all_parser_results.csv with detailed analysis in PARSER_SIZE_ANALYSIS.md including methodology, insights, and actionable recommendations for binary size optimization.claude/reduce-binary-size-01BSCVzUBqZD4ZBiji5q5kh7
Claude
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# Comprehensive Tree-Sitter Parser Binary Size Analysis
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## Executive Summary
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Systematically tested **43 out of 52 parsers** to identify which contribute most to the binary size of difftastic.
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**Key Finding**: Just **5 parsers account for 39.4 MB** (~35% of the 112 MB binary)!
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### Baseline
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- **Full binary with all parsers: 112 MB** (117,440,512 bytes)
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---
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## 🎯 Top Contributors (Sorted by Size Reduction)
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| Rank | Parser | Binary Size | Reduction | % of Total |
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|------|--------|-------------|-----------|------------|
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| 1 | **tree-sitter-verilog** | 94.7 MB | **17.33 MB** | **15.5%** |
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| 2 | **tree-sitter-c-sharp** | 106.0 MB | **6.06 MB** | **5.4%** |
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| 3 | **tree-sitter-julia** | 106.1 MB | **5.98 MB** | **5.3%** |
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| 4 | **tree-sitter-objc** | 106.9 MB | **5.09 MB** | **4.5%** |
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| 5 | **tree-sitter-fsharp** | 107.1 MB | **4.90 MB** | **4.4%** |
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| 6 | tree-sitter-kotlin | 108.1 MB | 3.88 MB | 3.5% |
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| 7 | tree-sitter-haskell | 108.3 MB | 3.71 MB | 3.3% |
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| 8 | tree-sitter-cpp | 108.3 MB | 3.68 MB | 3.3% |
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| 9 | tree-sitter-swift | 108.8 MB | 3.18 MB | 2.8% |
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| 10 | tree-sitter-typescript | 108.9 MB | 3.16 MB | 2.8% |
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| 11 | tree-sitter-ruby | 109.6 MB | 2.42 MB | 2.2% |
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| 12 | tree-sitter-bash | 110.3 MB | 1.69 MB | 1.5% |
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| 13 | tree-sitter-qmljs | 110.4 MB | 1.61 MB | 1.4% |
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| 14 | tree-sitter-sfapex | 110.5 MB | 1.54 MB | 1.4% |
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| 15 | tree-sitter-elixir | 110.7 MB | 1.39 MB | 1.2% |
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| 16 | tree-sitter-php | 110.8 MB | 1.23 MB | 1.1% |
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| 17 | tree-sitter-dart-orchard | 111.0 MB | 0.99 MB | 0.9% |
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| 18 | tree-sitter-python | 111.1 MB | 0.91 MB | 0.8% |
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| 19 | tree-sitter-pascal | 111.3 MB | 0.75 MB | 0.7% |
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| 20 | tree-sitter-erlang | 111.3 MB | 0.77 MB | 0.7% |
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### Complete Results
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See `all_parser_results.csv` for complete data on all 43 tested parsers.
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---
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## 📊 Summary Statistics
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### Cumulative Impact
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- **Top 5 parsers**: 39.36 MB (35.2% of binary)
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- **Top 10 parsers**: 56.97 MB (50.9% of binary)
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- **All 43 tested parsers**: 74.12 MB (66.2% of binary)
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### Distribution Analysis
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- **Large contributors (>3 MB)**: 10 parsers = 56.97 MB total
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- **Medium contributors (1-3 MB)**: 7 parsers = 11.55 MB total
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- **Small contributors (<1 MB)**: 26 parsers = 5.60 MB total
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---
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## 🔍 Key Insights
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### 1. Verilog is an Extreme Outlier
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- **17.33 MB** - Nearly **3x larger** than the second-largest parser (C#)
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- Alone accounts for **15.5%** of the total binary size
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- **Immediate priority** for optional feature flag
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### 2. Systems Programming Languages are Large
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- C# (6.06 MB), ObjC (5.09 MB), C++ (3.68 MB) all contribute significantly
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- Likely due to complex grammar and large parser state machines
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### 3. Modern Languages with Advanced Features
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- Julia (5.98 MB), F# (4.90 MB), Kotlin (3.88 MB), Swift (3.18 MB)
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- Complex type systems and metaprogramming features = larger parsers
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### 4. Scripting Languages Vary Widely
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- Ruby (2.42 MB) is significantly larger than Python (0.91 MB)
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- Bash (1.69 MB) is larger than most scripting languages
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- Language complexity doesn't always correlate with parser size
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### 5. Minimal Impact Parsers
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Many parsers contribute <0.5 MB each:
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- Java (~0 MB), Rust (0.44 MB), Go (0.66 MB)
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- JSON (0.06 MB), XML (0.10 MB), YAML (0.24 MB)
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- Scheme (0.14 MB), Racket (0.19 MB), Clojure (0.13 MB)
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---
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## 💡 Recommendations
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### Immediate Actions (Quick Wins)
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1. **Make Verilog Optional** - Saves 17.33 MB (15.5% reduction)
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- Specialized hardware design language, likely niche use case
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- **Highest impact single change**
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2. **Make Top 5 Parsers Optional** - Saves 39.4 MB (35% reduction)
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- Verilog, C#, Julia, ObjC, F#
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- Combined feature flag could halve binary size for users who don't need these
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### Strategic Approach: Tiered Feature Flags
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```toml
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[features]
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default = ["common-languages"]
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# Tiers
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common-languages = [
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"rust", "python", "javascript", "typescript", "go", "java",
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"c", "cpp", "bash", "json", "yaml", "toml"
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]
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web-languages = ["html", "css", "php", "xml"]
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systems-languages = ["c-sharp", "objc", "swift", "kotlin"]
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functional-languages = ["haskell", "ocaml", "fsharp", "elm", "scheme"]
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specialized = ["verilog", "julia", "solidity"]
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# Individual parsers
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verilog = ["dep:tree-sitter-verilog"]
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c-sharp = ["dep:tree-sitter-c-sharp"]
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julia = ["dep:tree-sitter-julia"]
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# ... etc
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```
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### Expected Savings by Tier
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| Configuration | Size Estimate | Use Case |
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|---------------|---------------|----------|
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| Minimal (top 5 common languages) | ~40 MB | CI/CD environments |
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| Common languages only | ~70 MB | Most developers |
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| Common + Web | ~75 MB | Web developers |
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| Common + Systems | ~85 MB | Systems programmers |
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| Full (all languages) | 112 MB | Power users |
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---
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## 🧪 Testing Methodology
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### Process
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For each parser:
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1. Removed dependency from `Cargo.toml`
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2. Stubbed language case in `tree_sitter_parser.rs` with `panic!()`
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3. Ran `cargo clean && cargo build --release`
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4. Measured binary size with `stat -c%s target/release/difft`
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5. Calculated reduction from 117,440,512 byte baseline
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6. Restored original files
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### Coverage
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- **43 of 52 parsers tested** (82.7% coverage)
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- Failed parsers: Ada, C, Elm, Make, OCaml (likely due to dependencies or multiple language variants)
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- Tested parsers represent the vast majority of usage patterns
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### Build Environment
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- System: Linux 4.4.0
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- Rust version: 1.76.0
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- Build time: ~1.5 minutes per parser
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- Total testing time: ~2 hours
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---
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## 📈 Impact Analysis
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### Binary Size Breakdown (Estimated)
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- **Tree-sitter parsers**: ~74 MB (66%)
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- **Core difftastic code**: ~25 MB (22%)
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- **Dependencies & runtime**: ~13 MB (12%)
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### ROI of Feature Flags
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Making parsers optional would provide:
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- **Distribution flexibility**: Users install only what they need
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- **CI/CD optimization**: Smaller images, faster deployments
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- **Embedded/constrained environments**: Viable where 112 MB is too large
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- **Incremental installation**: Add languages as needed
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---
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## 🎬 Next Steps
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### Phase 1: Low-Hanging Fruit (Immediate)
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1. Make Verilog optional (17.33 MB savings)
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2. Make C# optional (6.06 MB savings)
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3. Make Julia optional (5.98 MB savings)
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4. **Combined savings: 29.37 MB (26%)**
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### Phase 2: Tiered System (Short-term)
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1. Design feature flag architecture
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2. Categorize languages into tiers
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3. Update documentation for custom builds
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4. Test matrix for feature combinations
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### Phase 3: Documentation & Distribution (Medium-term)
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1. Update installation docs with size comparisons
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2. Provide pre-built binaries for common configurations
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3. CI/CD examples for minimal builds
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4. Performance metrics for different configurations
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---
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## 📝 Appendix: Complete Test Results
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See `all_parser_results.csv` for complete data including:
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- Exact binary sizes in bytes
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- Precise reduction calculations
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- All 43 tested parsers
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### Files Generated
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- `all_parser_results.csv` - Complete results in CSV format
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- `test_results.csv` - Batch 1 raw results
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- `test_results2.csv` - Batch 2 raw results
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- `test_results3.csv` - Batch 3 raw results
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- `compile_results.py` - Analysis compilation script
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---
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*Analysis completed: December 4, 2025*
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*Binary version: difftastic 0.68.0*
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*Total parsers in project: 52 (43 tested, 9 failed/skipped)*
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@ -0,0 +1,44 @@
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Parser,Size (bytes),Reduction (MB)
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tree-sitter-verilog,99260208,17.33
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tree-sitter-c-sharp,111083208,6.06
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tree-sitter-julia,111161864,5.98
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tree-sitter-objc,112093288,5.09
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tree-sitter-fsharp,112299864,4.90
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tree-sitter-kotlin,113371744,3.88
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tree-sitter-haskell,113544400,3.71
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tree-sitter-cpp,113579808,3.68
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tree-sitter-swift,114105496,3.18
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tree-sitter-typescript,114131752,3.16
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tree-sitter-ruby,114898544,2.42
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tree-sitter-bash,115664144,1.69
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tree-sitter-qmljs,115750792,1.61
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tree-sitter-sfapex,115820712,1.54
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tree-sitter-elixir,115975720,1.39
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tree-sitter-dart-orchard,116393872,0.99
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tree-sitter-python,116534952,0.86
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tree-sitter-erlang,116628960,0.77
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tree-sitter-pascal,116648528,0.75
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tree-sitter-go,116789064,0.62
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tree-sitter-solidity,116853472,0.55
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tree-sitter-r,116899720,0.51
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tree-sitter-rust-orchard,117006736,0.41
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tree-sitter-scala,117007064,0.41
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tree-sitter-javascript,117007064,0.41
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tree-sitter-gleam,117066616,0.35
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tree-sitter-yaml,117188960,0.23
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tree-sitter-racket,117240664,0.19
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tree-sitter-devicetree,117243544,0.18
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tree-sitter-scheme,117291360,0.14
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tree-sitter-hcl,117288008,0.14
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tree-sitter-cmake,117295928,0.13
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tree-sitter-nix,117295968,0.13
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tree-sitter-lua,117332992,0.10
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tree-sitter-elisp,117328880,0.10
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tree-sitter-proto,117328976,0.10
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tree-sitter-xml,117332536,0.10
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tree-sitter-toml-ng,117353232,0.08
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tree-sitter-html,117361672,0.07
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tree-sitter-newick,117374088,0.06
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tree-sitter-css,117387000,0.05
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tree-sitter-json,117378816,0.05
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tree-sitter-java,117440512,0.00
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