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Node.js execFile overhead mistaken for spawn cost

A developer discovered that a Node.js `execFile` operation was significantly slower than a direct socket connection due to the overhead of spawning a separate Rust binary process. However, upon closer inspection and timing the subprocess itself, the developer found that the actual execution time of the binary was minimal. The perceived slowness was attributed to the Rust daemon performing a more extensive operation when called via the CLI compared to the direct socket call, not the act of spawning the process. AI

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Node.js execFile overhead mistaken for spawn cost

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  1. dev.to — MCP tag TIER_1 English(EN) · Chad Priest ·

    Node execFile was 2.7x slower: the spawn cost nothing

    <p>Same machine, same daemon, same question. The gateway got its memory context in <strong>1495ms</strong>. The MCP server got it in <strong>4041ms</strong>. Both of them are code I wrote, in the same repo, for the same operation.</p> <h2> Two implementations of "get memory conte…