Performance Optimization
During modularization, especially during the transpile phase, many files are created, read, and modified. On Windows, the file system can become a bottleneck.
This guide outlines practical steps to improve performance on Windows. Additional optimizations will be introduced with Transpile v2.
Virus scanner configuration
Virus scanners can significantly slow down transpiling and file‑intensive operations. Where permitted by your organization's policies, add exclusions for:
- Project directories (source, generated, build/temp)
- Tool caches (e.g., Designer cache directories)
- Dev Drive or RAM disk paths used for development
Apply exclusions only in accordance with your security policies. Coordinate changes with your security team if necessary.
Virtual Disk (RAM disk)
A RAM disk can reduce I/O latency during transpile and build operations by keeping your project on an in‑memory drive.
On Windows 11, consider Dev Drive (ReFS) as a lower‑maintenance option that often provides excellent performance without consuming RAM.
Notes:
- RAM disks help most on slower storage or when antivirus/Defender overhead is high.
- On fast NVMe with well‑tuned exclusions, gains may be modest.
- Allocate only as much RAM as you can spare; low memory can destabilize the system.
Suggested setup
- Create a RAM disk (e.g., 4–8 GB, depending on project size).
- Load the project directory into the RAM disk at startup.
- Place only the modularized project on the RAM disk to avoid OOM.
- Optionally enable “synchronize on shutdown” to persist changes (slows shutdown); otherwise the RAM disk resets on reboot.
- Keep shared modules in their normal location (e.g.,
C:/Users/<user>/Documents/AditoProjects/) and reference them as usual. - Add the RAM disk path to your antivirus exclusions, per policy.
Performance comparison: normal drive vs. RAM disk
Transpile time in ADITO Designer with both Designer and project excluded from the virus scanner:
| Designer on normal drive | Designer on RAM disk |
|---|---|
| 1:43 min | 1:46 min |
| 1:47 min | 1:47 min |
| 1:52 min | 1:49 min |
| 1:55 min | 1:52 min |
| 2:06 min | 1:59 min |
Averages: normal drive 1:53 min vs. RAM disk 1:51 min. The RAM disk was around 1.8% faster on average with run‑to‑run variance, indicating minimal practical gain for this workload.
Dev Drive (Windows 11)
On Windows 11, a Dev Drive uses ReFS optimized for developer workloads and can outperform NTFS in many I/O‑heavy scenarios.
Use the Dev Drive guideline from Microsoft on how to set up a dev drive.
Recommendations:
- Install the ADITO Designer on the Dev Drive.
- Store projects on the Dev Drive.
To place the Designer's user directory on the Dev Drive, adjust config/ADITOdesigner.conf and use relative paths (like ../../):
default_userdir="../../.aditodesigner/2025.2.0"
netbeans_default_cachedir="../../.aditodesigner/2025.2.0/cache"
Performance comparison: normal drive vs. RAM disk vs. Dev Drive
In the first two cases, the project resided on the normal drive. On Dev Drive, both the Designer and project were located there. In all cases, the Designer and the project were excluded from the virus scanner.
| Normal drive | RAM disk | Dev Drive |
|---|---|---|
| 1:43 min | 1:46 min | 0:47 min |
| 1:47 min | 1:47 min | 0:54 min |
| 1:52 min | 1:49 min | 0:55 min |
| 1:55 min | 1:52 min | 1:04 min |
| 2:06 min | 1:59 min | 1:08 min |
Averages: normal 1:53 min, RAM disk 1:51 min, Dev Drive 0:58 min.
Compared to a normal drive, a RAM disk provided only around 1.8% average speedup. Dev Drive was consistently faster, reducing times by around 48% on average with a 37%–59% range, clearly outperforming the RAM disk with meaningful, repeatable gains.