General Performance Tip: Creating an Object

Apr 26, 2024 11:35 AM

I have investigated several methods for object creation in .NET, and although most demonstrate similar performance, there are some nuances. The examples below illustrate each approach.

Using the “new” Keyword

I would argue that the majority of code I come across follows the conventional method for creating objects:

var result = new Person();

or

Person result = new()

Activator.CreateInstance()

If an object needs to be created dynamically, an alternative method for object creation involves utilizing Activator.CreateInstance, as demonstrated below. This approach generates an instance of the specified type by employing the constructor that most appropriately aligns with the provided parameters.

var instance = Activator.CreateInstance<Person>();

or

var instance = Activator.CreateInstance(typeof(Person));

RuntimeHelpers.GetUninitializedObject

In scenarios where an uninitialized object is necessary, one can utilize it as demonstrated below.

var person = RuntimeHelpers.GetUninitializedObject(typeof(Person));

Benchmark Results

The findings associated with the development of a reference type, as demonstrated in the previously mentioned examples, suggest that creating objects with new() is more efficient. Specifically, it is 1.04 times faster than using the normal method to create objects, 1.72 times faster than using CreateInstance() with typeof(), 1.96 times faster than using Activator.CreateInstance(), 2.1 times faster than using CreateInstance<> and is 2.28 times faster than using GetUninitialiedObject().

My recommendation is to stick with using the normal way of creating objects or use new(), unless there is a specific reason to use a different method.

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