---
id: asv-runner
version: "0.3.0"
license: BSD-3-Clause
license_treatment: permissive
maintenance: active
---

# asv-runner — Core Python benchmark code for ASV

License: permissive · Maintenance: active · Downloads: 602.9K/mo

## What it is and what it does

asv-runner is the execution engine for the ASV benchmarking framework. It provides the core Python code that actually runs performance benchmarks, measures their execution time, and collects results. The package is intentionally minimal—it has no external dependencies beyond importlib-metadata and is designed to work across Python 3.7 and later, making it a stable foundation for benchmark infrastructure.

This is a specialized tool: it's the machinery that sits inside ASV to handle benchmark discovery, execution, and timing. Most users will encounter it indirectly through the main asv package. It's useful if you're building custom benchmarking infrastructure, extending ASV's capabilities, or need a lightweight, dependency-free benchmark runner for embedded or constrained environments.

Use it for:

- Run performance benchmarks as part of continuous integration to track code speed regressions over time
- Measure and compare execution time of different implementations or algorithms in your codebase
- Build custom benchmarking tools or frameworks that need a stable, minimal-dependency benchmark executor
- Profile code performance across multiple Python versions in a single test suite

## Worth the install?

AI-flagged interpretation of the facts above — verify before relying.

Provides core Python benchmark execution code for the ASV benchmarking framework, handling the low-level mechanics of running and measuring performance tests.

Yes, if you are using ASV for benchmarking or building custom benchmark infrastructure. Install it as a dependency of asv or directly if you need a lightweight, zero-external-dependency benchmark runner. The active maintenance, permissive license, and broad Python version support make it reliable. No known vulnerabilities.

## Install

pip install asv-runner
uv add asv-runner
poetry add asv-runner

## Installing asv-runner

Before you install: Low install friction with a single runtime dependency (importlib-metadata). Active maintenance with a release 10 days old and recent commits. Marked as Beta but supports Python 3.7 through 3.12.

License in practice: BSD-3-Clause is permissive; you can use, modify, and distribute this package with minimal restrictions, provided you include the license notice.

Quickstart:

pip install asv-runner

from asv_runner.benchmarks.mark import benchmark

@benchmark
def time_example():
    pass

Requires Python 3.7 or later; designed as a core library for ASV, not typically used standalone.

Verify before relying:

- Whether this package is intended for direct use or primarily as a dependency of the main asv package
- What specific benchmark execution capabilities are provided beyond the decorator interface
- Concrete examples of benchmark discovery and execution mechanics

## Package facts

- License: BSD-3-Clause (permissive)
- Python support: supports_current
- Install friction: low
- Maintenance: active
- Downloads: 602.9K/month (top 15,000 on PyPI)
- Known vulnerabilities: none known

## Tags

python benchmark runner, performance testing framework, asv benchmarking core, benchmark execution engine, performance measurement tool, code timing and profiling, benchmark harness, benchmarking, performance-testing, asv-core

[View on SkillFed](https://skillfed.io/packages/asv-runner) · [View on PyPI](https://pypi.org/project/asv-runner/)