@misc{10498/40554,
year = {2026},
url = {http://hdl.handle.net/10498/40554},
abstract = {Context: Web browsers are essential in the digital era, enabling seamless access to information and content. However, their intensive resource usage raises energy efficiency concerns, especially in battery-powered devices. Excessive consumption accelerates battery depletion, shortens device lifespan, and contributes to electronic waste and environmental degradation. Objectives: This study aims to empirically assess the impact of compiler optimization flags on the energy efficiency of modern web browsers, focusing on both Rust- and LLVM-based configurations. Methods: Three widely used browsers, namely Firefox, LibreWolf, and Chromium, were evaluated under two benchmark conditions: one browser-specific and one common across all browsers. For each configuration, runtime, energy consumption, and memory usage were measured to quantify performance gains resulting from different optimization strategies. Results: The experiments show that compiler optimizations substantially improve runtime, energy efficiency, and memory utilization, with maximum gains of 76.39%, 76.37%, and 76.22%, respectively. Firefox achieved the best overall performance in energy and runtime metrics, while Chromium showed superior memory efficiency. Rust-specific optimizations alone produced inconsistent outcomes, but combining them with LLVM optimizations yielded more reliable improvements. Conclusion: Compiler optimizations significantly enhance browser performance and energy efficiency. Achieving consistent gains, however, requires carefully combining optimization levels to balance performance and energy use.},
publisher = {Elsevier B.V.},
keywords = {Chromium},
keywords = {Compiler optimization},
keywords = {Energy consumption},
keywords = {Firefox},
keywords = {Green software},
keywords = {Software performance},
keywords = {Web browsers},
title = {Evaluating compiler optimizations for faster and greener web browsing},
doi = {10.1016/J.INFSOF.2026.108153},
author = {Aragón Jurado, José Miguel and Dorronsoro Díaz, Bernabé and Ruiz Villalobos, Patricia},
}