Question 1

How fast is Bento compared to other Elixir bencoding libraries?

Accepted Answer

Bento benchmarks show over 2x faster encoding and competitive decoding speeds against libraries like bencode and Bencodex, using techniques like single-pass decoding. However, some libraries like exbencode can't be benchmarked due to compatibility issues.

Question 2

How to parse a .torrent file in Elixir with Bento?

Accepted Answer

Use Bento.torrent!/1 by reading the file binary and passing it to the function. It returns a structured Elixir map with torrent metadata, as shown in the README example with Ubuntu's torrent file.

Question 3

Can Bento decode bencoded data into custom Elixir structs?

Accepted Answer

Yes, Bento supports decoding into user-defined structs using the 'as' parameter in Bento.decode!/2. Define your struct and pass it to enable type-safe data handling, as demonstrated with the Name module example.

Question 4

What happens if Bento encounters invalid bencoded data?

Accepted Answer

Bento rejects all malformed input and returns an error, ensuring correctness. This is a core feature that prevents processing corrupted data, unlike some other libraries.

Question 5

Is Bento a pure Elixir library or does it have native dependencies?

Accepted Answer

Bento is implemented entirely in Elixir with no external dependencies, leveraging native compilation for performance benefits like those seen in Poison.

Question 6

Bento or bencode for Elixir projects?

Accepted Answer

Choose Bento for higher performance and strict correctness, especially if speed is critical or you need .torrent support. Bencode might suffice for simpler use cases, but Bento offers better benchmarks and built-in features.

Question 7

How to benchmark Bento against other libraries?

Accepted Answer

Run 'MIX_ENV=bench mix bench' to execute the provided benchmark script. It compares Bento against several Elixir libraries, though some may have build errors or conflicts, as noted in the README.

bento

What is bento?

Overview

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Frequently Asked Questions