High-Precision JavaScript Timekeeping: Performance.now() vs. System Clock Drift
Standard timer applications often drift by several hundred milliseconds over time due to CPU throttling and JavaScript event loop queuing. High-precision timing requires drift compensation.
Why performance.now() Outperforms Date.now()
Standard `Date.now()` relies on the operating system clock, which is subject to NTP clock sync adjustments and manual user changes. In contrast, `performance.now()` provides a monotonic, high-resolution timestamp with microsecond accuracy that never ticks backwards or jumps.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. The stopwatch computes elapsed time based on absolute timestamps rather than counting setInterval ticks, so time remains 100% accurate even if background tabs are throttled.
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