Is the Ternary Operator Faster than if...else in C ?

The Conditional Operator ?: vs. if...else: A Performance Comparison

In C , the ternary operator (?) and the if...else statement are both used for conditional execution. However, there is a misconception that the ternary operator is faster than the if...else statement.

Performance Comparison

Contrary to popular belief, the ternary operator is not faster than the if...else statement. Both operators generate equivalent assembly code when compiled. The following C code illustrates this equivalence:

int x = (a > b) ? a : b;

int y;
if (a > b) {
  y = a;
} else {
  y = b;
}

When compiled, these two code blocks will produce the same assembly code, which involves a conditional branch instruction. Therefore, the performance of both operators is the same.

Initialization of Constants

One subtle difference between the ternary operator and the if...else statement is that the ternary operator allows the initialization of a constant variable based on an expression. For example:

const int x = (a < b) ? b : a;

This is not possible with the if...else statement. However, it is worth noting that this feature is rarely used in practical programming.

Conclusion

While the ternary operator offers a concise syntax for conditional execution, it does not provide any performance benefits over the if...else statement. The choice between these two operators should be based on code readability and personal preference.

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