OpenSSL Speed Results

OpenSSL Speed

The cryptographic library OpenSSL provides a tool that provides a means to assess and compare cryptographic method performance.

Real Hardware

Running the test on real hardware systems to provide a set of references:

System	Operating System	OpenSSL Version	MD5 8,192 bytes	RSA 4,096 bytes sign/s	RSA 4,096 bytes verify/s
crataegus - IDT WinChip C6 @ 200 MHz	BeOS 5 Professional x86	0.9.7jc 04 May 2006	18.52k	0.0	0.0
tilia - Intel Pentium @ 75 MHz	Linux 2.4.18 RedHat Linux 7.3 x86	0.9.6b [engine]a,d 9 Jul 2001	6,075.73k	0.1	4.5
crataegus - IDT WinChip C6 @ 200 MHz	QNX RTOS 6.1.0 x86	0.9.6c [engine]a 21 dec 2001	8,320.34k	0.0	2.4
tilia - Intel Pentium @ 75 MHz	Linux 2.0.36 RedHat Linux 5.2 x86	0.9.2bb 22 Mar 1999	12,391.77k	0.2	11.2
tilia - Intel Pentium @ 75 MHz	Linux 2.2.14 RedHat Linux 6.2 x86	0.9.5ab 1 Apr 2000	12,454.57k	0.2	11.1
crataegus - IDT WinChip C6 @ 200 MHz	Linux 2.4.18 RedHat Linux 7.3 x86	0.9.6b [engine]a,d 9 Jul 2001	14,240.43k	0.1	8.6
crataegus - IDT WinChip C6 @ 200 MHz	Linux 2.6.24 Ubuntu 8.04 LTS x86	0.9.8ga 19 Oct 2007	18,417.03k	0.3	20.4
crataegus - IDT WinChip C6 @ 200 MHz	Linux 2.0.36 RedHat Linux 5.2 x86	0.9.2bb 22 Mar 1999	19,510.61k	0.3	20.2
crataegus - IDT WinChip C6 @ 200 MHz	Linux 2.2.14 RedHat Linux 6.2 x86	0.9.5ab 1 Apr 2000	19,535.19k	0.3	20.1
buxus - MIPS R5900 @ 294 MHz	Linux 2.2.1 PS2 Linux	0.9.6b [engine]a 9 Jul 2001	27,044.52k	0.6	35.0
pyrus - PowerPC 750 (G3) @ 600 MHz	MacOS X 10.3	0.9.7la 28 Sep 2006	60,733.13k	1.0	71.6
raspberrypi - ARM1173 @ 700 MHz	Linux 5.10.17 Raspberry Pi OS	1.1.1da 10 Sep 2019	69,209.90k	1.7	118.2
larix - VIA C3 Nehemiah @ 1.33 GHz	NetBSD 9.2 x86	1.1.1ka,d 25 Mar 2021	85,262.12k	2.5	186.5
rosa - VIA C3 Nehemiah @ 1.0 GHz	Linux 4.9.0 Bodhi Linux 5 x86	1.1.0ga 2 Nov 2017	106,606.70k	1.5	99.6
rosa - VIA C3 Nehemiah @ 1.0 GHz	Linux 5.10.0 Debian Linux 11 (bullseye) x86	1.1.1na 15 Mar 2022	106,760.79k	1.5	100.2
larix - VIA C3 Nehemiah @ 1.33 GHz	Linux 2.6.24 Ubuntu 8.04 LTS (Hardy Heron) x86	0.9.8ga 19 Oct 2007	123,998.10k	2.4	166.0
larix - VIA C3 Nehemiah @ 1.33 GHz	Linux 2.4.18 RedHat Linux 7.3 x86	0.9.6b [engine]a 9 Jul 2001	129,376.26k	2.4	148.1
corylus - Intel Pentium III @ 866 MHz	Linux 2.6.24 Ubuntu 8.04 LTS x86	0.9.8ga 19 Oct 2007	136,798.21k	2.9	203.8
corylus - Intel Pentium III @ 866 MHz	Linux 2.4.18 RedHat Linux 7.3 x86	0.9.6b [engine]a 9 Jul 2001	139,766.44k	2.9	183.3
larix - VIA C3 Nehemiah @ 1.33 GHz	Linux 4.9.0 Bodhi Linux 5.0 Legacy x86	1.1.0ga 2 Nov 2017	139,839.26k	1.9	131.8
ReadyNAS - Marvell ARMADA 370 @ 1.2 GHz	Linux 4.4 ReadyNAS OS 6 ARM (armv7l)	1.0.1ta 3 May 2016	140,389.03k	3.1	195.0
larix - VIA C3 Nehemiah @ 1.33 GHz	NetBSD 9.2 x86	1.1.1kb 25 Mar 2021	140,913.29k	1.9	132.8
larix - VIA C3 Nehemiah @ 1.33 GHz	Linux 5.10.0 Debian Linux 11 (bullseye) x86	1.1.1na 15 Mar 2022	141,496.18k	1.9	133.0
corylus - Intel Pentium III @ 866 MHz	Linux 5.10.0 Debian Linux 11 (bullseye) x86	1.1.1na 15 Mar 2022	143,425.06k	2.5	171.0
acer - AMD Athlon XP 2100+ @ 1.733 GHz	Linux 5.10.0 Debian Linux 11 (bullseye) x86	1.1.1ka 25 Mar 2021	255,826.02k	5.1	351.8
ilex - Intel Atom N270 @ 1.6 GHz	Linux 4.9.0 Bodhi Linux 5.0 Legacy x86	1.1.1a 11 Sep 2018	301,377.93k	2.7	180.6
sorbus - Intel Pentium Dual E2180 @ 2.0 GHz	Linux 2.6.24 Ubuntu 8.04 LTS x86	0.9.8ga 19 Oct 2007	352,692.91k	11.9	881.7
sorbus - Intel Pentium Dual E2180 @ 2.0 GHz	Linux 4.15.0 Ubuntu 18.04 LTS x86_64	1.1.1a 11 Sep 2018	371,314.04k	41.6	2,632.1
sorbus - Intel Pentium Dual E2180 @ 2.0 GHz	Linux 5.10.0 Debian Linux 11 (bullseye) x86_64	1.1.1na 15 Mar 2022	371,494.87k	42.0	2,753.9
salix - AMD Athlon XP 3000+ @ 2.167 GHz	Linux 2.6.24 Ubuntu 8.04 LTS (Hardy Heron) x86	0.9.8ga 19 Oct 2007	383,286.30k	9.4	663.7
salix - AMD Athlon XP 3000+ @ 2.167 GHz	Linux 3.19.0 Ubuntu 14.04 LTS (Trusty Tahr) x86	1.0.1fa 6 Jan 2014	392,239.58k	8.4	532.1
salix - AMD Athlon XP 3000+ @ 2.167 GHz	Linux 5.10.0 Debian Linux 11 (bullseye) x86	1.1.1na 15 Mar 2022	395,004.59k	7.9	543.8
salix - AMD Athlon XP 3000+ @ 2.167 GHz	Linux 2.4.18 RedHat Linux 7.3 x86	0.9.6b [engine]a 9 Jul 2001	399,329.96k	9.0	572.5
drosera - Intel i7-860 @ 2.80 GHz	Linux 5.10.0 Debian Linux 11 (bullseye) x86_64	1.1.1na 15 Mar 2022	699,282.77k	78.8	5,177.1
helix - AMD Ryzen 5 3600 @ 3.60 GHz	Linux 5.10.0 Debian Linux 11 (bullseye) x86_64	1.1.1na 15 Mar 2022	816,425.64k	286.7	18,787.4

As with all benchmarks, comparisons should be done with caution... comparing "like with like" should work fine, but variations in versions, architectures and operating systems can have additional effects that distort the performance, so only larger differences will have much meaning.

1. Operating system supplied OpenSSL binaries used.
2. Local compile from downloaded OpenSSL source distribution. Version chosen to be contemporary with the operating system release.
3. Third-party sourced software package for OpenSSL
4. Version of OpenSSL compiled to use only C methods, the default assembler (asm) method implementations were disabled at compile time.

Emulated Hardware

We expect quite a bit of variation when running on emulated hardware, but this should give some clues to the efficiency of the emulation:

System	Operating System	OpenSSL Version	MD5 8,192 bytes	RSA 4,096 bytes sign/s	RSA 4,096 bytes verify/s
AlphaVM-Freeb Alpha 21264 (EV6); details	Linux 2.6.26 Debian Linux 5 (lenny) alpha	0.9.8g 19 Oct 2007	3,470.64k	0.5	34.8
AlphaVM-Freeb Alpha 21264A (EV67); details	Tru64 UNIX 5.1B	0.9.6g [engine] 9 Aug 2002	4,328.83k	0.4	22.7
FreeAXPa Alpha 21064 (EV4); details	Tru64 UNIX 5.1B	0.9.6g [engine] 9 Aug 2002	4,576.60k	0.3	21.7
QEMUc Motorola 68040; details	Linux 5.17.0 Debian Linux (bookworm/sid) m68k	1.1.1n 15 Mar 2022	4,790.42k	0.3	50.7
PCeme Intel Pentium 75 (i586); details	Linux 2.4.18 RedHat Linux 7.3 (Valhalla) x86	0.9.6b [engine]f 9 Jul 2001	6,075.73k	0.1	4.5
QEMUc PA7300LC (PA-RISC 1.1); details	Linux 2.6.26 Debian Linux 5 (lenny) hppa	0.9.8g 19 Oct 2007	9,794.54k	0.4	31.2
PCeme Intel Pentium 75 (i586); details	Linux 2.2.17 Mandrake Linux 7.2 (Odyssey) x86	0.9.5a 1 Apr 2000	13,494.95k	0.2	10.6
PCeme Intel Pentium 75 (i586); details	Linux 2.0.36 RedHat Linux 5.2 (Apollo) x86	0.9.2b 22 Mar 1999	13,514.07k	0.2	10.6
PCeme Intel Pentium 75 (i586); details	Linux 2.2.14 RedHat Linux 6.2 (Zoot) x86	0.9.5a 1 Apr 2000	13,516.80k	0.2	10.5
QEMUc PA7300LC (PA-RISC 1.1); details	HP-UX 11i v1	0.9.7e 25 Oct 2004	39,654.12k	0.0	1.0
QEMUc PA7300LC (PA-RISC 1.1); details	NetBSD 9.2 hppa	1.1.1kg 25 Mar 2021	51,716.92k	invalid	invalid
QEMUc microSPARC II (SPARC V8); details	NetBSD 9.2 sparc	1.1.1kg 25 Mar 2021	65,130.51k	1.8	136.5
QEMUc UltraSPARC IIi (SPARC V9); details	NetBSD 9.2 sparc64	1.1.1kg 25 Mar 2021	67,259.05k	0.6	42.2
QEMUc microSPARC II (SPARC V8); details	Linux 2.6.18 Debian Linux 4 (etch) sparc	0.9.8c 05 Sep 2006	93,445.95k	1.3	86.3
QEMUc PowerPC 750 (G3); details	Linux 3.16.0 Debian Linux 8 (jessie) powerpc	1.0.1t 3 May 2016	108,467.54k	2.2	157.5
QEMUc Alpha 21264A (EV67); details	Linux 2.6.26 Debian Linux 5 (lenny) alpha	0.9.8g 19 Oct 2007	112,009.95k	6.2	489.9
QEMUc PowerPC 7400 (G4); details	Linux 3.16.0 Debian Linux 8 (jessie) powerpc	1.0.1t 3 May 2016	113,646.13k	2.2	149.2
QEMUc ARM Cortex-A7 (ARMv7); details	Linux 5.10.17 Raspberry Pi OS	1.1.1d 10 Sep 2019	142,737.41k	4.3	342.8
QEMUc ARMv7 virt; details TBC	Linux 4.19.0 Debian Linux 10 (buster) armhf	1.1.1d 10 Sep 2019	161,215.83k	4.9	323.5
QEMUc UltraSPARC IIi (SPARC V9); details	Linux 5.10.0 Debian Linux 11 (bullseye) sparc64	1.1.1k 25 Mar 2021	242,488.68k	2.7	176.0

Again compare with caution, small variations could be down to variations in host system load or other factors, but larger variations will likely point to differences in efficiency.

Notes:

1. FreeAXP test run under MS Windows 10 on a Intel i7-860 system.
2. AlphaVM-Free tests were run on Debian Linux 10 (buster+backports) virtual machine in VirtualBox under MS Windows 10 on a Intel i7-860 system.
3. QEMU tests were run on Debian Linux 10 (buster+backports) virtual machine in VirtualBox under MS Windows 10 on a Intel i7-860 system.
4. QEMU runs x86 and x86_64 processors nativly when running on a compatible host, so these platforms appear much faster than the processor would suggest
5. PCem tests were run under MS Windows 10 on an Intel i7-860 system.
6. OpenSSL build uses C-only methods, with the assembler based implementations having been disabled at compile time (no-asm). As of OpenSSL 1.1.1n the source distribution contains assembler implementations for MD5 on SPARC, x86 & x86_64, for RSA a portable C implementation is used on all platforms.
7. The base installation of NetBSD includes a customized version of OpenSSL, which can differ in performance from a regular OpenSSL build.

Virtual Machine

Unlike emulation, hypervisor style virtualization only needs to emulate some devices, with other interactions being passed through to the underlying host hardware. In this case comparing benchmark results can detect cases where the emulated components of the VM cause performance issues:

System	Operating System	OpenSSL Version	MD5 8,192 bytes	RSA 4,096 bytes sign/s	RSA 4,096 bytes verify/s
VirtualBox Intel i7 860 @ 2.80 GHz; 1 core details	BeOS 5 Professional x86 (i586)	0.9.7j 04 May 2006	623.77k	0.0	1.0
VirtualBox Intel i7 860 @ 2.80 GHz; 2 cores	Linux 4.19.0 Debian Linux 10 (buster) amd64 (x86_64)	1.1.1d 10 Sep 2019	665,464.38k	75.0	4,881.4
VirtualBox Intel i7 860 @ 2.80 GHz; 2 cores	NetBSD 9.2 amd64 (x86_64)	1.1.1k 25 Mar 2021	669,940.13k	73.0	4,942.8

As always compare with caution...

Further Sources

• [OpenWrt Wiki] OpenSSL benchmarks
• OpenSSL Speed Test Results
• openssl speed measurements – Georgs Blog
• Gentoo Forums :: View topic - Who can post the best performance per MHz in OpenSSL?
• RAILhead Design: News Icons Desktops Fonts More [Internet Archive] a comparison of OpenSSL results. The numbers used appear to be for RSA 2048 bits verify/s.
• Hidden bundled UNIX benchmarking software - Mac OS X Hints