How Expensive is Converting a Go String to a []byte?

The Cost of String to []byte Conversion

The []byte(s) conversion may seem trivial, but it's important to understand its implications and complexities. This conversion is not a cast, where the existing data is reinterpreted with a different type, but rather a conversion that requires a separate copy.

Copying Operation

As strings are immutable, converting them to mutable byte slices necessitates creating a new slice and copying the string's bytes into it. This copy operation is potentially costly, especially in performance-sensitive scenarios.

Conversion Details

Unlike conversions involving encoding transformations, such as utf8 to rune, the conversion between string and []byte is straightforward. The string's bytes are simply duplicated into the byte slice, without any additional processing.

Reverse Conversion

The reverse conversion, []byte to string, also requires a copy operation. In this case, the byte slice's bytes are copied into a new string. This process is equally costly as the string to []byte conversion.

Conclusion

Understanding the nuances of string to []byte conversion and its associated copy operation is crucial for optimizing code performance. Developers should carefully consider performance implications and utilize alternative approaches when necessary, such as working with string views or using the strings package efficiently.

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