Performance Smell Detection Skill

Identify potential code-level performance issues in Java code.

Philosophy

"Premature optimization is the root of all evil" - Donald Knuth

This skill helps you notice potential performance smells, not blindly "fix" them. Modern JVMs (Java 21/25) are highly optimized. Always:

1. Measure first - Use JMH, profilers, or production metrics
2. Focus on hot paths - 90% of time spent in 10% of code
3. Consider readability - Clear code often matters more than micro-optimizations

When to Use

• Reviewing performance-critical code paths
• Investigating measured performance issues
• Learning about Java performance patterns
• Code review with performance awareness