zarr-python
Zarr's package split keeps producing standalone tools: a server, now a lazy indexer.
Comparison · DevOps
cpp11 vs xml2
A side-by-side editorial comparison of cpp11 and xml2 — release velocity, themes, recent moves, and the top alternatives to consider.
Shared themes:performance
cpp11 vs xml2: at a glance
What is cpp11?
cpp11 has spent two years rebuilding itself on R's supported API surface
cpp11 is the header-only C++ interface for R packages, and nearly every release in this window is governed by one force: R core's tightening of what counts as non-API. 0.5.0 removed the growable-vector internals that made push_back() cheap, 0.5.3 and 0.5.4 removed further non-API usage, and the small releases in between are crash and compiler-warning fixes.
What is xml2?
xml2 relicensed to MIT, then moved its hot accessors from S3 into C
xml2 is the libxml2 binding under most R HTML and XML work, including rvest. Its release cadence is set by libxml2 versions and R CMD check, but two of the last six matter on their own: the 1.3.3 MIT relicense and the 1.3.6 dispatch rewrite that pushed the common accessors into C and dropped three dependencies.
cpp11 vs xml2: editorial side-by-side
cpp11
0.0DEVOPS
cpp11 has spent two years rebuilding itself on R's supported API surface
◆ Current state
cpp11 is the header-only C++ interface for R packages, and nearly every release in this window is governed by one force: R core's tightening of what counts as non-API. 0.5.0 removed the growable-vector internals that made push_back() cheap, 0.5.3 and 0.5.4 removed further non-API usage, and the small releases in between are crash and compiler-warning fixes.
◆ Where it's heading
The package is trading a little performance for the right to keep passing CRAN checks indefinitely, and saying so plainly in the release notes. With R >= 4.0 now required, whole compatibility branches have been deleted rather than maintained. The remaining work is narrow: finish the non-API migration, then get back to interface features like cpp_source() handling multiple files.
◆ Prediction
Expect the last non-API dependencies to be cleared and the deprecated compatibility defines to be removed outright; the entries suggest maintenance discipline rather than new C++ surface.
xml2
0.0DEVOPS
xml2 relicensed to MIT, then moved its hot accessors from S3 into C
◆ Current state
xml2 is the libxml2 binding under most R HTML and XML work, including rvest. Its release cadence is set by libxml2 versions and R CMD check, but two of the last six matter on their own: the 1.3.3 MIT relicense and the 1.3.6 dispatch rewrite that pushed the common accessors into C and dropped three dependencies.
◆ Where it's heading
This is infrastructure maintenance in the strict sense - most releases exist because the toolchain moved, not because the package did. Where the maintainers do choose the work, it goes to performance and dependency reduction rather than new API, and the surface has been essentially stable since 1.3.0.
◆ Prediction
Expect the next releases to track libxml2 compatibility and R-devel format-string warnings; new API is unlikely beyond occasional XPath accessors in the style of xml_find_int().
Alternatives to cpp11 and xml2
Other DevOps products tracked by Sparkpulse, ranked by recent ship velocity. Each card links to a full editorial trajectory and lets you pivot into a head-to-head comparison with either cpp11 or xml2.
ellipsis
ellipsis' checks live in rlang now; the package is a compatibility shim.
clock
clock is turning calendar conventions lubridate hard-coded into parameterized types.
httpuv
httpuv ships almost nothing, which is what you want from the web server under Shiny
promises
promises drops R6 for plain environments and wires async work into OpenTelemetry
withr
withr rebuilt defer() on base R's own on.exit(), and got much faster for it
Recent activity from cpp11 and xml2
Latest ship moves from both products, interleaved chronologically. ⚡ = editorial spark.
- 3mo agocpp11cpp_source() accepts multiple files; template crash fixed
- 4mo agocpp11R_NamespaceRegistry usage removed
- 6mo agocpp11ATTRIB() removed; C++ compatibility headers tidied
- 1y agocpp11cpp11 0.5.2
- 1y agocpp11R 4.0 required; unwind-protect and ALTREP defines retired
- 1y agocpp11Growable-vector internals dropped for R's supported API ⚡
- 2y agoxml2Accessors dispatch in C; glue, withr and lifecycle dropped
- 3y agoxml2Small xml_find_all() speedup and check fixes
- 3y agoxml2R CMD check fixes and a Windows libxml2 bump
- 4y agoxml2Relicensed to MIT, with Hadley Wickham back as maintainer ⚡
- 6y agoxml2Rejects multi-element strings; fixes a raw-input regression
- 6y agoxml2Restores reading HTML with non-ASCII encodings
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between cpp11 and xml2?
Both compete on the same themes — performance — within DevOps. cpp11 and xml2 are shipping at a similar cadence (velocity 0.0 vs 0.0, both within Sparkpulse's "active" band). See the at-a-glance table above for a side-by-side breakdown of velocity, recent sparks, and editorial themes.
Is cpp11 better than xml2?
Sparkpulse doesn't pick a winner — we score release velocity, not feature parity. cpp11 and xml2 are shipping at a similar cadence (velocity 0.0 vs 0.0, both within Sparkpulse's "active" band). For your specific use case, the alternatives sections above list other DevOps products to evaluate alongside.
What are the best alternatives to cpp11?
Top cpp11 alternatives in DevOps are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "cpp11 alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/cpp11 for the full list with editorial commentary on each.
What are the best alternatives to xml2?
Top xml2 alternatives in DevOps are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "xml2 alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/xml2 for the full list with editorial commentary on each.