best-practices
Dictionary Performance Tips
Maximise dict lookup and insertion performance in compiled code.
Published May 30, 2026
Pre-size When Possible
d = {} # grows dynamically
# vs
d = dict.fromkeys(range(1000))Use Local Variable for Methods
get = d.get
for key in keys:
val = get(key)Avoid Deletion in Hot Loops
for k in to_remove:
del d[k] # slower than batch