Implementation:CARLA simulator Carla Profiler

Knowledge Sources	CARLA
Domains	Profiling, Debugging
Last Updated	2026-02-15 05:00 GMT

Overview

The Profiler module provides compile-time-configurable profiling macros for measuring function execution time, with automatic periodic logging of statistics.

Description

The profiling system consists of two components:

ProfilerData class -- accumulates timing statistics:

• Tracks total call count and execution time (in nanoseconds via std::chrono::high_resolution_clock)
• Computes average time per call
• Auto-logs statistics every 10 seconds (configurable via DISPLAY_RATE) since program start
• Formats output as: "name: {avg}ms (approximately {total_calls} per {elapsed_sec}s)"
• Stores a name string for identification

CARLA_PROFILE_SCOPE / CARLA_PROFILE_FPS macros:

• CARLA_PROFILE_SCOPE(context, name) -- creates a scoped timer that measures the lifetime of the current scope. On destruction, it adds the elapsed time to the associated ProfilerData
• CARLA_PROFILE_FPS(context, name) -- similar to PROFILE_SCOPE but measures frame rate (calls per second)
• Both macros create a static thread_local ProfilerData to accumulate data without lock contention
• When LIBCARLA_ENABLE_PROFILER is disabled, the macros expand to empty statements (zero overhead)

The ScopedProfiler class implements RAII timing -- the constructor records the start time, and the destructor computes the elapsed time and reports it to ProfilerData::Annotate().

Usage

Use the CARLA_PROFILE_SCOPE macro in performance-critical functions during development to identify bottlenecks. The profiler automatically logs statistics periodically.

Code Reference

Source Location

• Repository: CARLA
• Files: LibCarla/source/carla/profiler/Profiler.h, LibCarla/source/carla/profiler/Profiler.cpp

Signature

class ProfilerData : private NonCopyable {
public:
  explicit ProfilerData(std::string name, bool print_fps = false);
  void Annotate(const profiler::detail::ProfilerData &data);
  void Annotate(size_t nanoseconds);

private:
  const std::string _name;
  bool _print_fps;
  size_t _count = 0u;
  size_t _total_microseconds = 0u;
  // ...
};

class ScopedProfiler {
public:
  explicit ScopedProfiler(ProfilerData &parent);
  ~ScopedProfiler(); // Records elapsed time
};

// Usage macros
#define CARLA_PROFILE_SCOPE(context, name) ...
#define CARLA_PROFILE_FPS(context, name) ...

Import

#include "carla/profiler/Profiler.h"

I/O Contract

Input	Type	Description
std::string | Identifier for the profiled scope
Scope lifetime | Time measured from construction to destruction

Output	Type	Description
log_info | Periodic statistics: avg time, call count, elapsed time

Usage Examples

void MyFunction() {
  CARLA_PROFILE_SCOPE(this, "MyFunction");
  // ... function body ...
}
// Logs every 10s: "MyFunction: 1.25ms (approximately 800 per 10.00s)"

Related Pages

• Environment:CARLA_simulator_Carla_Simulation_Runtime