Comparing the performance of ECDSA signature validation in OpenSSL vs. libsecp256k1 over the last decade

The exploration into the performance of ECDSA signature validation across different processor architectures has led to intriguing findings. A specialized branch was created to illustrate these comparisons through a line plot, showcased on GitHub. This visualization specifically highlights how performance improvements from version 0.20 to version 22.0 are significantly more pronounced on arm64 systems than on x86-64 architectures. Initial observations reveal an exceptional speedup on arm64 platforms, which contrasts with mixed results reported for x86-64 systems. For instance, while some sources indicate a negative improvement rate for x86-64, others suggest a modest gain of approximately 16%.

This differentiation in performance underscores the potential architectural dependencies of cryptographic operations and their optimization over time. The data presented also opens up avenues for further investigation, particularly concerning the behavior of these algorithms on 32-bit machines. Such a comparison could provide additional insights into the scalability and efficiency of cryptographic libraries across a broader range of computing environments. The importance of visualizing this performance data cannot be understated, as it offers a clear and accessible means to evaluate and discuss the progression of cryptographic libraries like OpenSSL and libsecp256k1.