benchmark.py

import random
import sys
import time

runs = 5
items = 100000
str_length = 12

if sys.version_info.major == 2:
    def genBytestrings():
        """ """
        d = {}

        print('BYTESTRING')

        start = time.time()
        for i in range(0, items):
            random.seed(0)
            byte_str = ''.join([chr(random.randint(32, 126)) for k in range(0, str_length)])
            d[byte_str] = byte_str
        end = time.time()
        print('generation time: {}'.format(end-start))

        return d


    def genUnicodes():
        """ """
        d = {}

        print('UNICODE')

        start = time.time()
        for i in range(0, items):
            random.seed(0)
            byte_str = u''.join([unichr(random.randint(32, 126)) for k in range(0, str_length)])
            d[byte_str] = byte_str
        end = time.time()
        print('generation time: {}'.format(end-start))

        return d


    def compare(d):
        """ """
        start = time.time()
        for i in range(0, runs):
            last_key = False
            for key in d:
                if last_key and d[key] == d[last_key]:
                    print('you just won the lottery')
                last_key = key

        end = time.time()
        print('comparison time: {}\n'.format(end-start))



print('runs: {0}, items: {1}, str_length: {2}\n'.format(runs, items, str_length))
for i in range(0, runs):
    d = genBytestrings()
    compare(d)

    d = genUnicodes()
    compare(d)

    print('-----\n')

results.txt

$ python2 benchmark.py 
runs: 5, items: 100000, str_length: 12

BYTESTRING
generation time: 4.48273801804
comparison time: 1.21593475342e-05

UNICODE
generation time: 4.6273920536
comparison time: 1.50203704834e-05

-----

BYTESTRING
generation time: 4.49021196365
comparison time: 1.4066696167e-05

UNICODE
generation time: 4.63130092621
comparison time: 1.19209289551e-05

-----

BYTESTRING
generation time: 4.48817205429
comparison time: 1.47819519043e-05

UNICODE
generation time: 4.62876796722
comparison time: 1.19209289551e-05

-----

BYTESTRING
generation time: 4.4868350029
comparison time: 1.28746032715e-05

UNICODE
generation time: 4.6292090416
comparison time: 1.12056732178e-05

-----

BYTESTRING
generation time: 4.48903894424
comparison time: 1.38282775879e-05

UNICODE
generation time: 4.67465996742
comparison time: 1.31130218506e-05

-----

Without random.seed(0):

$ python2 benchmark.py
runs: 5, items: 100000, str_length: 12
BYTESTRING
generation time: 3.1144721508
comparison time: 0.157985925674
UNICODE
generation time: 3.45516300201
comparison time: 0.233561992645

---

BYTESTRING
generation time: 3.17846012115
comparison time: 0.15659403801
UNICODE
generation time: 3.24055600166
comparison time: 0.220932006836

---

BYTESTRING
generation time: 3.08818984032
comparison time: 0.165657997131
UNICODE
generation time: 3.23957490921
comparison time: 0.223265886307

---

BYTESTRING
generation time: 3.1283390522
comparison time: 0.159765005112
UNICODE
generation time: 3.21039605141
comparison time: 0.226836919785

---

BYTESTRING
generation time: 3.09065699577
comparison time: 0.162682056427
UNICODE
generation time: 3.22223496437
comparison time: 0.226697921753

---