Bitfield Docs

A comparison is only fair when both sides measure the same kind of work. Bitfield proof pages name the job first, then the number.

Somebody sees 0.68ns and wants to compare it to a managed database query over the internet. That is not the same job. One is a warm local read. The other includes network and server work.

Warm read, lookup, durable batch write, runtime call, or network command.

→

Local bytes, cache state, lookup work, durability boundary, or network hop.

→

Cold storage, internet latency, isolated write latency, or unrelated query planning.

The reader should be able to tell which comparisons are meaningful and which comparisons are category mistakes.

Safe comparison table

Bitfield row	Safe comparison	Unsafe comparison
Warm local read	Other warm local exact-read paths	Networked SQL query
Content address lookup	Other local identity/lookup paths	Exact-position read with no lookup
Durable batch write	Other batch writes with similar durability boundary	One isolated networked write
Batched write ceiling	Other optimized full-batch ceilings	Every possible saved-write path
Runtime Kit request	Other app-to-runtime request/reply paths	Raw storage read by itself

The rule

If a vendor number includes a network trip, server scheduling, query planning, or cold storage fetch, it is not the same category as a warm local read.If a Bitfield number says batch, do not treat it as a single isolated write.If a Bitfield number says lookup, do not treat it as exact-position read with no lookup.

Skeptical comparison checklist

Run this before publishing a comparison:

Question	Pass condition
What is the measured job on both sides?	Both sides name the same category.
Is the data local or remote?	Local rows compare to local rows; network rows compare to network rows.
Is the data warm or cold?	Warm rows compare to warm rows; cold rows compare to cold rows.
Is lookup included?	Lookup rows compare to lookup rows, not exact-position reads.
Is durability included?	Saved-write rows compare to saved-write rows with a similar boundary.
Is this a batch ceiling?	Ceiling rows compare to ceiling rows, not every write.
Are non-claims still attached?	The comparison carries the boundary sentence.

Category mismatch examples

Misread	What actually changed
`0.68ns` warm local read vs managed database query	Added network, server scheduling, and query work to one side only
`91.7ns` content address lookup vs exact local read	Added content identity resolution to one side only
`0.59ns` batched write ceiling vs one user pressing save	Replaced a full-batch ceiling with isolated interaction latency
Durable batch row vs remote write API	Mixed local saved-write batch work with networked service work

Common failures

Bad comparison	Why it is wrong	Correct move
Warm local read vs remote query	The remote query includes network/server work	Compare against local warm read paths
Batch ceiling vs isolated write	The batch row divides work across a full batch	Use durable batch rows for saved-write comparisons
Content lookup vs exact read	The lookup row includes identity resolution	Compare against lookup paths
Headline vs headline	Headline rows often hide category	Read the category and non-claims first

Read Warm and cold paths, then use the Benchmark ledger and Claim ledger to check the exact claim row.

Speed claims

Updates

Comparison guardrails

Safe comparison table

The rule

Skeptical comparison checklist

Category mismatch examples

Common failures

Next

​Safe comparison table

​The rule

​Skeptical comparison checklist

​Category mismatch examples

​Common failures

​Next

Safe comparison table

The rule

Skeptical comparison checklist

Category mismatch examples

Common failures

Next