How does Bloaty compare to the 'size' command for analyzing binaries?

Bloaty provides much more detailed attribution by parsing binary formats deeply, attributing bytes to specific symbols and compile units, whereas 'size' only shows high-level section sizes. For instance, Bloaty can break down contributions from individual C++ functions, while 'size' might just display .text and .data totals.

How to use Bloaty to analyze a stripped binary with separate debug info?

Use the '--debug-file' option to specify a separate debug file (e.g., .dSYM on macOS or .debug on Linux) when running Bloaty on a stripped binary. This allows access to symbol information without embedding it, maintaining security while enabling precise size profiling.

What binary formats does Bloaty fully support?

Bloaty has robust support for ELF and Mach-O formats with custom parsers, but PE/COFF and WebAssembly support is experimental, as noted in the README. This means functionality for those formats might be limited or unstable, so verify compatibility for your use case.

Can Bloaty be used in a CI pipeline to check for binary size increases?

Yes, Bloaty's size diff feature is designed for CI integration. Run it on two binary versions to generate a report showing where size changed, and you can set thresholds to fail builds if size grows unexpectedly, helping prevent regressions.

How to filter Bloaty output to show only specific symbols or sections?

Use the '--filter' option with a regex pattern to include or exclude parts of the binary. For example, '--filter=".*protobuf.*"' filters results to show only contributions from files or symbols containing 'protobuf', based on the chosen data source like compileunit or symbol.

Is Bloaty available as a pre-built binary or do I need to compile it?

While the README mentions it's provided as a statically-linked binary for easy deployment, you often need to build it from source using CMake, which involves handling Git submodules and dependencies like protobuf and re2, adding setup complexity.

How does Bloaty handle C++ name demangling?

Bloaty offers flexible demangling options for C++ symbols, allowing you to demangle fully or simplify by discarding function and template parameters. This makes the output more readable, especially in complex codebases with heavily templated code.

bloaty — Binary Size Profiler

What is bloaty?

Bloaty is a specialized size profiler for binary files that analyzes what contributes to an executable's footprint. It uses custom parsers for formats like ELF, Mach-O, PE/COFF, and WebAssembly to accurately attribute every byte to its source, such as compile units or symbols. This helps developers understand and optimize binary size.

Target Audience

Bloaty is designed for developers, software engineers, and build system maintainers working on performance-critical or resource-constrained applications, such as embedded systems, mobile apps, or large-scale server software, who need to analyze and reduce binary size.

Value Proposition

Developers choose Bloaty for its deep, accurate analysis using custom binary parsers, which provides detailed size attribution beyond basic tools. Its unique selling points include hierarchical profiling, size diffing for CI/CD, support for stripped binaries with separate debug files, and a statically-linked binary for easy deployment.

Bloaty: a size profiler for binaries

Use Cases

Best For

Analyzing binary size growth between versions in CI/CD pipelines to identify regressions.
Profiling stripped binaries using external debug data to maintain security while debugging size issues.
Understanding the contribution of specific compile units or symbols to an executable's footprint in large C++ projects.
Comparing size profiles across different binary formats like ELF, Mach-O, or WebAssembly for cross-platform development.
Filtering and bucketing binary sections with regex patterns for custom analysis workflows.
Optimizing binary size for embedded systems or mobile applications where memory constraints are critical.

Not Ideal For

Projects relying heavily on PE/COFF or WebAssembly binaries, as Bloaty's support for these formats is experimental and may be unreliable.
Teams that prefer graphical tools for interactive data visualization and exploration, since Bloaty is exclusively a command-line utility.
Developers needing quick, rough size estimates for small binaries; Bloaty's detailed parsing can be overkill and slower than simpler tools like 'size' or 'ls'.

Pros & Cons

Pros

Deep Custom Parsers

Uses bespoke ELF, DWARF, and Mach-O parsers to accurately attribute every byte, providing more precise size analysis than standard tools like 'objdump' or 'nm'.

Hierarchical Size Reports

Combines multiple data sources such as compileunit and symbol into a single profile, offering a comprehensive view of binary composition for in-depth optimization.

CI-Friendly Size Diffs

Compares binary versions to pinpoint growth, ideal for integrating into CI/CD pipelines to catch and prevent size regressions, as highlighted in the README for automated testing.

Stripped Binary Analysis

Supports analyzing stripped executables using separate debug files, allowing security-hardened binaries to still be profiled without embedding debug info, a key feature for production environments.

Flexible Regex Customization

Allows regex-based filtering and rewriting of data sources, enabling tailored analysis workflows, such as bucketing by custom patterns, as documented in the user guide.

Cons

Experimental Format Support

PE/COFF and WebAssembly analysis is marked experimental in the README, indicating incomplete or potentially buggy functionality that may not be suitable for production use.

Complex Dependency Management

Requires managing Git submodules and dependencies like protobuf, which complicates the build process, especially in environments without these libraries pre-installed.

No Graphical Interface

As a command-line-only tool, it lacks a GUI, hindering users who prefer visual tools for exploring and interpreting binary size data interactively.

Performance Intensive

Deep disassembly and parsing can be resource-heavy, making analysis slower for very large binaries compared to surface-level tools, which might not be ideal for frequent, quick checks.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is bloaty?

Target Audience

Value Proposition

Use Cases

Best For

Analyzing binary size growth between versions in CI/CD pipelines to identify regressions.
Profiling stripped binaries using external debug data to maintain security while debugging size issues.
Understanding the contribution of specific compile units or symbols to an executable's footprint in large C++ projects.
Comparing size profiles across different binary formats like ELF, Mach-O, or WebAssembly for cross-platform development.
Filtering and bucketing binary sections with regex patterns for custom analysis workflows.
Optimizing binary size for embedded systems or mobile applications where memory constraints are critical.

Not Ideal For

Projects relying heavily on PE/COFF or WebAssembly binaries, as Bloaty's support for these formats is experimental and may be unreliable.
Teams that prefer graphical tools for interactive data visualization and exploration, since Bloaty is exclusively a command-line utility.
Developers needing quick, rough size estimates for small binaries; Bloaty's detailed parsing can be overkill and slower than simpler tools like 'size' or 'ls'.

Pros & Cons

Pros

Deep Custom Parsers

Uses bespoke ELF, DWARF, and Mach-O parsers to accurately attribute every byte, providing more precise size analysis than standard tools like 'objdump' or 'nm'.

Hierarchical Size Reports

Combines multiple data sources such as compileunit and symbol into a single profile, offering a comprehensive view of binary composition for in-depth optimization.

CI-Friendly Size Diffs

Compares binary versions to pinpoint growth, ideal for integrating into CI/CD pipelines to catch and prevent size regressions, as highlighted in the README for automated testing.

Stripped Binary Analysis

Supports analyzing stripped executables using separate debug files, allowing security-hardened binaries to still be profiled without embedding debug info, a key feature for production environments.

Flexible Regex Customization

Allows regex-based filtering and rewriting of data sources, enabling tailored analysis workflows, such as bucketing by custom patterns, as documented in the user guide.

Cons

Experimental Format Support

PE/COFF and WebAssembly analysis is marked experimental in the README, indicating incomplete or potentially buggy functionality that may not be suitable for production use.

Complex Dependency Management

Requires managing Git submodules and dependencies like protobuf, which complicates the build process, especially in environments without these libraries pre-installed.

No Graphical Interface

As a command-line-only tool, it lacks a GUI, hindering users who prefer visual tools for exploring and interpreting binary size data interactively.

Performance Intensive

Deep disassembly and parsing can be resource-heavy, making analysis slower for very large binaries compared to surface-level tools, which might not be ideal for frequent, quick checks.

Frequently Asked Questions

bloaty

What is bloaty?

Overview

Use Cases

Best For

Not Ideal For

Pros & Cons

Pros

Cons

Frequently Asked Questions

Related Projects

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bloaty

What is bloaty?

Overview

Use Cases

Best For

Not Ideal For

Pros & Cons

Pros

Cons

Frequently Asked Questions

Related Projects

Found a gem we're missing?