EQATEC Profiler

The EQATEC Profiler is a free code profiler for the .NET Compact Framework. It is made by EQATEC, a Danish software development company based in Copenhagen, Denmark.

Performance tools for .NET CF

The range of analysis tools for the .NET Compact Framework (CF) is sparse in comparison
with those available for the full .NET Framework. The reduced API on the CF, and especially the lack of the
full .NET Framework's "profiling API" (ICorProfiler),
makes it harder to port existing profilers to .NET CF. Hence, profilers for .NET CF tends to focus on
memory-profiling. The most notably example is the CLR Profiler from Microsoft.

No code-profilers for the full .NET Framework (Dot.net Profiler from SpeedTrace, dotTrace from JetBrains, ANTS Profiler from redgate, VSTS Profiler from Microsoft, etc) are available for the Compact Framework at present, nor have any manufacturer disclosed specific plans for releasing a version for the CF.

The EQATEC Profiler is therefore currently the only code-profiler offered for .NET Compact Framework.

Technology overview

The EQATEC Profiler uses instrumentation, not sampling. It works on methods, not statements.
It can profile .NET CF 2.0 and 3.5, as well as the full .NET framework. Profiling-overhead is
typically less than 50%, both codesize- and runtime-wise.

The profiler uses the Open Source Mono.Cecil parser, created by Jb Evain as part of the Mono project.

History and license

Version 1.0 of the EQATEC Profiler was released in April, 2008.

The profiler is made available for use under the BSD License.
It is free for all to use, but is not Open Source.

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