{
  "type": "failure-mode",
  "name": "Benchmarking the demo instead of the workload",
  "slug": "benchmarking-the-demo-instead-of-the-workload",
  "section": {
    "id": "frameworks",
    "number": "02",
    "title": "Choosing a framework",
    "url": "https://zkpick.com/frameworks/"
  },
  "url": "https://zkpick.com/frameworks/failure-modes/benchmarking-the-demo-instead-of-the-workload/",
  "markdown": "https://zkpick.com/md/frameworks/failure-modes/benchmarking-the-demo-instead-of-the-workload.md",
  "detail": "Selection is driven by published throughput numbers on a trivial program. The real workload is dominated by foreign-field arithmetic or a hash loop with a completely different cost profile, and peak memory — not wall-clock time — turns out to decide feasibility.",
  "mitigation": "Prototype your most expensive component in the top candidates and measure prover time, peak RAM and cost per proof on the hardware you will actually rent.",
  "relatedOptions": [],
  "updated": "2026-09-12",
  "version": "1.3",
  "canonical": "https://zkpick.com/frameworks/failure-modes/benchmarking-the-demo-instead-of-the-workload/",
  "license": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
  "authors": [
    "MarketComp"
  ]
}