How do you approach coding performance optimization in real applications?

[Stephen31]

I'm working on an application that's starting to have performance issues as it scales. What coding performance optimization techniques do you recommend for identifying and fixing bottlenecks? I'm looking for practical approaches beyond just "profile your code." How do you balance optimization with maintainability and development speed?

[James.D]

For coding performance optimization, I start with measurement. You can't optimize what you can't measure. Use profiling tools to identify actual bottlenecks. Common issues: inefficient algorithms, unnecessary database queries, memory leaks. For balance: optimize only what needs optimizing. Often, 80% of performance issues come from 20% of the code. Focus there first. Maintainability matters more than micro-optimizations.

[AlexanderA]

I approach performance optimization in layers: application-level (algorithm choice, data structures), system-level (caching, database indexing), and infrastructure-level (scaling, load balancing). For practical approaches: add monitoring early so you can see performance trends. Use load testing to simulate scale. The balance comes from setting performance goals: what's good enough" for your use case?

[Alexander.L]

Don't optimize prematurely. Write clear, maintainable code first, then profile to find bottlenecks. Common coding performance optimization techniques: lazy loading, caching repeated computations, optimizing database queries. For balance: consider the development time vs performance gain. A 10% improvement that takes a week might not be worth it if there are bigger issues elsewhere.