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Lobsters0 Hot0 comments13 min read
CTTI is Exponential, RTTI is Linear
An argument that Runtime Type Information (RTTI) is a linear, measurable cost while Compile-Time Type Information (CTTI), often marketed as 'zero-cost', scales exponentially across semantic checking, code generation, and binary size when combined with parametric polymorphism. The author, creator of the Odin language, explains why RTTI table lookups stay constant-cost regardless of type count, whereas generic/templated code monomorphizes into N^K instantiations that bloat compile times and binaries. Odin uses RTTI by default (e.g. fmt.println, serialization) with struct field tags similar to Rust's serde, reserving CTTI (via base:intrinsics) for hot paths needing specialization. The piece argues for a data-driven RTTI approach over a code-driven CTTI approach as a language design philosophy, while acknowledging RTTI's own costs (memory, table lookups, exposed type info).
Source: https://www.gingerbill.org/article/2026/09/02/ctti-is-exponential-rtti-is-linear. 8 Sync News only summarizes and links out; content copyright belongs to the authors and original sources.
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