📊 Mellowtel Performance Analysis: Real-World Impact Testing
Mellowtel is an open-source library that helps browser extension developers monetize their work through consensual bandwidth sharing. Users can opt-in to share unused bandwidth with AI labs and startups needing access to public websites, with developers earning a share of the revenue.
To assess its system footprint, we conducted benchmark tests simulating high-load conditions to evaluate performance impact on CPU, RAM, and network.
🧪 Test Setup and Methodology
We ran a stress test by chaining 10 requests through Mellowtel in rapid succession—a scenario more extreme than real-world usage where requests are typically spaced out.
Metrics measured:
- Network bandwidth utilization
- CPU usage (Apple M2 Silicon)
- RAM consumption (16GB system)
- Request distribution and load handling
📶 Results and Analysis
📡 Network Performance
- Total Data Transferred: 18.56 MB
- Total Requests: 10
🧠 System Resource Impact
- RAM Usage: +0.43% max (on a 16GB system)
- CPU Usage: +0.0001% (M2 chip)
- Observation: No visible spikes in activity
📦 Request Breakdown
- Script Requests: 496 (2.52 MB)
- Stylesheets: 33 (270.77 KB)
- Images: 285 (15.01 MB)
- XHR: 82 (248.47 KB)
- Fonts: 34 (532.55 KB)
- Other: 20 (1.79 KB)
🖥️ System Impact
Even in a high-pressure test scenario, Mellowtel demonstrated minimal system impact:
- ✅ RAM delta: < 0.5%
- ✅ CPU load: ~0.0001%
- ✅ No noticeable slowdown or UI delay
Video monitoring confirmed smooth performance and background efficiency.
👤 Impact on User Experience
In typical usage (with natural pauses between requests), resource usage would be even lower than in this stress test.
User observations:
- No noticeable system performance degradation
- Bandwidth usage is measured and controlled
- CPU and RAM usage remains negligible
✅ Conclusion
Mellowtel delivers on its promise of efficient bandwidth sharing without compromising user experience.
With:
- Minimal RAM and CPU usage
- Smooth background operation
- Efficient request handling
…it's a viable monetization tool for extension developers who value user trust and experience.
This performance aligns with Mellowtel's mission to empower sustainable browser ecosystems. Even under extreme testing, its footprint is impressively low.