Identifying and Replicating Code Patterns Driving Performance Regressions in Software Systems

Fuente: arXiv
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Main Authors: Campos, Denivan, Martins, Luana, Guglielmi, Emanuela, Tucci, Michele, Di Pompeo, Daniele, Scalabrino, Simone, Cortellessa, Vittorio, Di Nucci, Dario, Oliveto, Rocco
Format: Preprint
Published: 2025
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author Campos, Denivan
Martins, Luana
Guglielmi, Emanuela
Tucci, Michele
Di Pompeo, Daniele
Scalabrino, Simone
Cortellessa, Vittorio
Di Nucci, Dario
Oliveto, Rocco
author_facet Campos, Denivan
Martins, Luana
Guglielmi, Emanuela
Tucci, Michele
Di Pompeo, Daniele
Scalabrino, Simone
Cortellessa, Vittorio
Di Nucci, Dario
Oliveto, Rocco
contents Context: Performance regressions negatively impact execution time and memory usage of software systems. Nevertheless, there is a lack of systematic methods to evaluate the effectiveness of performance test suites. Performance mutation testing, which introduces intentional defects (mutants) to measure and enhance fault-detection capabilities, is promising but underexplored. A key challenge is understanding if generated mutants accurately reflect real-world performance issues. Goal: This study evaluates and extends mutation operators for performance testing. Its objectives include (i) collecting existing performance mutation operators, (ii) introducing new operators from real-world code changes that impact performance, and (iii) evaluating these operators on real-world systems to see if they effectively degrade performance. Method: To this aim, we will (i) review the literature to identify performance mutation operators, (ii) conduct a mining study to extract patterns of code changes linked to performance regressions, (iii) propose new mutation operators based on these patterns, and (iv) apply and evaluate the operators to assess their effectiveness in exposing performance degradations. Expected Outcomes: We aim to provide an enriched set of mutation operators for performance testing, helping developers and researchers identify harmful coding practices and design better strategies to detect and prevent performance regressions.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2504_05851
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Identifying and Replicating Code Patterns Driving Performance Regressions in Software Systems
Campos, Denivan
Martins, Luana
Guglielmi, Emanuela
Tucci, Michele
Di Pompeo, Daniele
Scalabrino, Simone
Cortellessa, Vittorio
Di Nucci, Dario
Oliveto, Rocco
Software Engineering
Context: Performance regressions negatively impact execution time and memory usage of software systems. Nevertheless, there is a lack of systematic methods to evaluate the effectiveness of performance test suites. Performance mutation testing, which introduces intentional defects (mutants) to measure and enhance fault-detection capabilities, is promising but underexplored. A key challenge is understanding if generated mutants accurately reflect real-world performance issues. Goal: This study evaluates and extends mutation operators for performance testing. Its objectives include (i) collecting existing performance mutation operators, (ii) introducing new operators from real-world code changes that impact performance, and (iii) evaluating these operators on real-world systems to see if they effectively degrade performance. Method: To this aim, we will (i) review the literature to identify performance mutation operators, (ii) conduct a mining study to extract patterns of code changes linked to performance regressions, (iii) propose new mutation operators based on these patterns, and (iv) apply and evaluate the operators to assess their effectiveness in exposing performance degradations. Expected Outcomes: We aim to provide an enriched set of mutation operators for performance testing, helping developers and researchers identify harmful coding practices and design better strategies to detect and prevent performance regressions.
title Identifying and Replicating Code Patterns Driving Performance Regressions in Software Systems
topic Software Engineering
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2504.05851