Everything about Perf (Linux)

🧭 Start here: a 6-step reading path

1. Read the overview: Perf (Linux)A 5-minute orientation
2. Skim a recent paper: Real-Time Heuristic-Based Detection of Attacks Performed on a Linux Machine Using OsqueryInfluential work since 2022
3. Pick up a classic book: Profiling & tracing with perfThe most-reprinted book on the subject
4. Read the landmark paper: Arlequin suite ver 3.5: a new series of programs to perform population genetics analyses under Linux and WindowsCited 14,425 times
5. Go sideways: CodeXLA closely related topic
6. Go sideways: SCHED DEADLINEA closely related topic

🏆 Landmark papers (most cited)

• Arlequin suite ver 3.5: a new series of programs to perform population genetics analyses under Linux and Windows

  LAURENT EXCOFFIER, HEIDI E. L. LISCHER · 2010 · Molecular Ecology Resources · 14,425 citations

• The Cost of Application-Class Processing: Energy and Performance Analysis of a Linux-Ready 1.7-GHz 64-Bit RISC-V Core in 22-nm FDSOI Technology

  Florian Zaruba, Luca Benini · 2019 · IEEE Transactions on Very Large Scale Integration (VLSI) Systems · 430 citations

• Performance Comparison of VxWorks, Linux, RTAI, and Xenomai in a Hard Real-Time Application

  A. Barbalace, A. Luchetta, G. Manduchi · 2008 · IEEE Transactions on Nuclear Science · 97 citations

• A performance comparison of linux containers and virtual machines using Docker and KVM

  MinSu Chae, HwaMin Lee, Kiyeol Lee · 2017 · Cluster Computing · 86 citations

• Performance of a Real-Time EtherCAT Master Under Linux

  Marco Cereia, Ivan Cibrario Bertolotti, Stefano Scanzio · 2011 · IEEE Transactions on Industrial Informatics · 63 citations

🆕 Influential since 2022

• Real-Time Heuristic-Based Detection of Attacks Performed on a Linux Machine Using Osquery

  Sarfaraz Ahamed, Ramanathan Lakshmanan · 2022 · SN Computer Science · 6 citations

• LLM INFERENCE PERFORMANCE ANALYSIS ACROSS WINDOWS, WINDOWS SUBSYSTEM FOR LINUX 2 AND NATIVE LINUX

  Muhammad Anshori, Maulidiansyah, Moh Sukron · 2026 · JITK (Jurnal Ilmu Pengetahuan dan Teknologi Komputer) · 0 citations

• Analisis Performa Web Server Apache Menggunakan Sistem Operasi Arch Linux dan Archcraft Linux

  Rohit Jhon Lamtama Purba, Yeremia Setya Maharman Gurning, Ahmad Affandi Silaen · 2025 · Journal of Humanities Education Management Accounting and Transportation · 0 citations

📚 Books worth reading

• 📕Profiling & tracing with perfJulia Evans · 2018
• 📕Linux debugging tools you'll loveJulia Evans · 2017

Ranked by number of editions on Open Library, a rough measure of how lasting a book is.

🔗 Related topics

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• SCHED DEADLINE SCHED_DEADLINE is a CPU scheduler available in the Linux kernel since version 3.14, based on the earliest deadline first (EDF) and constant bandwidth server…
• Linux kernel version history This article documents the broad, wide version history of the Linux kernel, a free, open-source, and Unix-like kernel that is used on many computer systems…
• AMD CodeAnalyst AMD CodeAnalyst is a GUI-based code profiler for x86 and x86-64-based machines. CodeAnalyst has similar look and feel on both Linux and Microsoft Windows…
• Kernel-based Virtual Machine Kernel-based Virtual Machine (KVM) is a free and open-source virtualization module in the Linux kernel that allows the kernel to function as a hypervisor…
• OProfile In computing, OProfile is a system-wide statistical profiling tool for Linux. John Levon wrote it in 2001 for Linux kernel version 2.4 after his M.Sc.…
• Linux on Apple devices The Linux kernel can run on a variety of devices made by Apple, including devices where the unlocking of the bootloader is not possible with an official…
• Free and open-source graphics device driver A free and open-source graphics device driver is a software stack which controls computer-graphics hardware and supports graphics-rendering application…