zsh profiling

content/notes/profiling zsh.md

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+---
+title: Profiling zsh and fixing my slow shell
+date: 2024-02-16
+tags:
+  - shell
+  - zsh
+cover: https://img.ellie.wtf/i/65f53ca525e5809faa419fcd628893d92a4d003b3aa1367eda9c3267cd462617.png
+---
+My zsh has been a _little_ slow to start for a while. Never enough to be a significant bother, but always something I've been meaning to get around to. Thorsten Ball had a great writeup about this [here](https://registerspill.thorstenball.com/p/how-fast-is-your-shell). Maybe I've had weights in my shoes for too long!
+
+Recently I've been messing with the `atuin init` command - this is ran at shell startup. I want to ensure it's fast, and we don't cause slow shells for anyone. 
+
+What I did:
+
+1. Whack `zmodload zsh/zprof` at the top of my `.zshrc`
+2. `zprod` at the bottom of the same file
+
+Upon opening a new shell, I get a nice table showing where zsh is spending time
+
+![](https://img.ellie.wtf/i/eeadd0c2efb5f70b219c7d6cfba2bad121ea7d17e3459e661a437369f7e68053.png)
+
+It's pretty obvious that `nvm` is to blame here! With a bit of Googling, it seems like I'm among the last to figure this out. Oops.
+
+## Fixing it
+
+I do use nvm reasonably often, so let's fix it
+
+### Lazy loading
+[zsh-lazyload](https://github.com/qoomon/zsh-lazyload) allows you to lazy load commands! That way I only pay the slow nvm penalty when I'm actually using nvm. Not bad.
+
+Install the plugin as per the readme (I used zplug), and then
+
+```bash
+lazyload nvm -- 'source ~/.nvm/nvm.sh'
+```
+
+in my .zshrc. Good to go!
+
+### Replacements
+
+There are a number of other options nowadays. I've been debating using [asdf](https://asdf-vm.com/) or [mise](https://mise.jdx.dev/), but haven't gotten around to figuring out which works best for me.