Performance Modes

SimpleDto provides multiple performance modes to balance features and speed based on your needs.

Performance Modes Overview

Mode	Speed	Features	Use Case
Normal	12.7μs	Full features	Default mode with all features
#[UltraFast]	1.7μs	Minimal	Maximum speed with basic mapping
#[NoCasts]	~8μs	No casting	Skip type casting
#[NoValidation]	~10μs	No validation	Skip validation
#[NoAttributes]	~9μs	No attributes	Skip attribute processing

#[UltraFast] Mode

The #[UltraFast] attribute provides maximum performance by bypassing all SimpleDto overhead.

Features

• ✅ 7.4x faster than normal SimpleDto
• ✅ Direct reflection (no cache overhead)
• ✅ Minimal memory (2.7mb vs 6.7mb)
• ✅ Supports #[MapFrom] and #[MapTo] attributes
• ✅ Handles nested DTOs recursively
• ❌ No validation
• ❌ No type casting
• ❌ No lazy loading
• ❌ No optional properties
• ❌ No computed properties

Usage

use event4u\DataHelpers\SimpleDto;
use event4u\DataHelpers\SimpleDto\Attributes\UltraFast;
use event4u\DataHelpers\SimpleDto\Attributes\MapFrom;

#[UltraFast]
class FastUserDto extends SimpleDto
{
    public function __construct(
        #[MapFrom('user_name')]
        public readonly string $name,
        public readonly string $email,
        public readonly int $age,
    ) {}
}

// Create from array (1.7μs)
$user = FastUserDto::fromArray([
    'user_name' => 'John Doe',
    'email' => 'john@example.com',
    'age' => 30,
]);

// Convert to array
$array = $user->toArray();
// ['name' => 'John Doe', 'email' => 'john@example.com', 'age' => 30]

Nested DTOs

#[UltraFast]
class FastAddressDto extends SimpleDto
{
    public function __construct(
        public readonly string $street,
        public readonly string $city,
    ) {}
}

#[UltraFast]
class FastUserDto extends SimpleDto
{
    public function __construct(
        public readonly string $name,
        public readonly FastAddressDto $address,
    ) {}
}

$user = FastUserDto::fromArray([
    'name' => 'John',
    'address' => [
        'street' => '123 Main St',
        'city' => 'New York',
    ],
]);

Configuration Options

#[UltraFast(
    allowMapFrom: true,   // Allow #[MapFrom] attributes (default: true)
    allowMapTo: true,     // Allow #[MapTo] attributes (default: true)
    allowCastWith: false, // Allow #[CastWith] attributes (default: false)
)]
class ConfiguredDto extends SimpleDto
{
    // ...
}

#[NoCasts] Mode

Skip all type casting for better performance when input data is already correctly typed.

Features

• ✅ 34-63% faster than normal SimpleDto
• ✅ All other features work (validation, mapping, etc.)
• ❌ No automatic type conversion
• ❌ No nested DTO auto-casting

Usage

use event4u\DataHelpers\SimpleDto\Attributes\NoCasts;

#[NoCasts]
class StrictDto extends SimpleDto
{
    public function __construct(
        public readonly string $name,
        public readonly int $age,
    ) {}
}

// This works (correct types)
$dto = StrictDto::fromArray(['name' => 'John', 'age' => 30]);

// This throws TypeError (wrong types, no casting)
$dto = StrictDto::fromArray(['name' => 'John', 'age' => '30']);

#[NoValidation] Mode

Skip validation for better performance when input data is already validated.

Features

• ✅ 20-30% faster than normal SimpleDto
• ✅ All other features work (casting, mapping, etc.)
• ❌ No validation attributes processed

Usage

use event4u\DataHelpers\SimpleDto\Attributes\NoValidation;

#[NoValidation]
class TrustedDto extends SimpleDto
{
    public function __construct(
        public readonly string $name,
        public readonly string $email,
    ) {}
}

#[NoAttributes] Mode

Skip all attribute processing for maximum performance.

Features

• ✅ 25-40% faster than normal SimpleDto
• ✅ Basic DTO functionality works
• ❌ No validation attributes
• ❌ No visibility attributes
• ❌ No mapping attributes
• ❌ No cast attributes

Usage

use event4u\DataHelpers\SimpleDto\Attributes\NoAttributes;

#[NoAttributes]
class MinimalDto extends SimpleDto
{
    public function __construct(
        public readonly string $name,
        public readonly int $age,
    ) {}
}

Combining Attributes

You can combine multiple performance attributes:

#[NoCasts, NoValidation]
class FastDto extends SimpleDto
{
    public function __construct(
        public readonly string $name,
        public readonly int $age,
    ) {}
}

Attribute Conflicts

Do NOT combine #[UltraFast] with other performance attributes. #[UltraFast] bypasses all processing, making other attributes redundant.

Performance Comparison

Benchmark Results (10,000 iterations):

Normal SimpleDto:           12.740μs (baseline)
#[NoValidation]:            ~10.000μs (20% faster)
#[NoAttributes]:            ~9.000μs  (29% faster)
#[NoCasts]:                 ~8.000μs  (37% faster)
#[NoCasts, NoValidation]:   ~6.000μs  (53% faster)
#[UltraFast]:               1.723μs   (639% faster)

Plain PHP Constructor:      0.141μs   (9,000% faster)
Other Dto Libraries:        0.315μs   (4,000% faster)

Choosing the Right Mode

Use Normal Mode When:

• ✅ You need full features (validation, casts, mapping)
• ✅ Performance is acceptable (not in tight loops)
• ✅ Developer experience is priority
• ✅ Type safety and validation are important

Use #[UltraFast] When:

• ✅ You need maximum speed
• ✅ You only need basic mapping (#[MapFrom], #[MapTo])
• ✅ Input data is already validated
• ✅ Input data is already correctly typed
• ✅ You’re processing large datasets

Use #[NoCasts] When:

• ✅ Input data is already correctly typed
• ✅ You need validation but not casting
• ✅ You want better performance without losing features

Use #[NoValidation] When:

• ✅ Input data is already validated (e.g., from database)
• ✅ You need casting but not validation
• ✅ You trust the data source

Use #[NoAttributes] When:

• ✅ You don’t use any attributes
• ✅ You want simple DTOs with better performance
• ✅ You only need basic fromArray/toArray functionality

Real-World Example

// API endpoint - needs validation and casting
class CreateUserRequest extends SimpleDto
{
    #[Required, Email]
    public readonly string $email;

    #[Required, Min(3)]
    public readonly string $name;
}

// Internal DTO - already validated, use #[UltraFast]
#[UltraFast]
class UserDto extends SimpleDto
{
    public function __construct(
        public readonly string $email,
        public readonly string $name,
        public readonly int $id,
    ) {}
}

// Database result - already typed, use #[NoCasts]
#[NoCasts]
class UserFromDatabase extends SimpleDto
{
    public function __construct(
        public readonly int $id,
        public readonly string $email,
        public readonly string $name,
    ) {}
}

See Also

• Performance Benchmarks - Detailed benchmark results
• Caching Guide - Cache optimization strategies
• Performance Attributes - Detailed attribute documentation