feat: v0.5.0 — comprehensive documentation release

Theme: documentation and project polish. No public-API changes; this
is the v0.5 release that elevates heuropt's docs/onboarding/governance
to bar-setting status.

Adds:
- mdbook user guide at docs/book/ with intro, getting-started,
  defining-problems, choosing-an-algorithm, cookbook (7 recipes),
  comparison vs other libraries, stability/SemVer, migration guides.
  Deploys to https://swaits.github.io/heuropt/ via .github/workflows/
  docs.yml.
- Runnable rustdoc examples on every algorithm (35 of them), all
  exercised by cargo test --doc.
- Three real-world examples: portfolio.rs (multi-obj with budget
  constraint), hyperparam_tuning.rs (BO + TPE), scheduling.rs
  (permutation via SA + SwapMutation against Smith's-rule oracle).
- Governance: CONTRIBUTING.md, SECURITY.md, CODE_OF_CONDUCT.md
  (adopting builderscode.org's Builder's Code of Conduct), GitHub
  issue templates, PR template.

Polishes:
- README hero with badges + user-guide link.
- lib.rs crate-level docs.
- CHANGELOG entry for 0.5.0.

Bumps Cargo.toml to 0.5.0.
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[book]
title = "heuropt — the user guide"
description = "A practical Rust toolkit for heuristic single-, multi-, and many-objective optimization."
authors = ["Stephen Waits"]
language = "en"
src = "src"
[build]
build-dir = "../../target/book"
create-missing = false
[output.html]
default-theme = "rust"
preferred-dark-theme = "navy"
git-repository-url = "https://github.com/swaits/heuropt"
edit-url-template = "https://github.com/swaits/heuropt/edit/main/docs/book/{path}"
site-url = "/heuropt/"
no-section-label = true
[output.html.fold]
enable = true
level = 1
[output.html.search]
enable = true
limit-results = 30
teaser-word-count = 30
use-boolean-and = true
[output.html.print]
enable = true
[rust]
edition = "2024"
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# Summary
[Introduction](./introduction.md)
# Getting started
- [Five-minute walkthrough](./getting-started.md)
- [Defining a problem](./defining-problems.md)
- [Choosing an algorithm](./choosing-an-algorithm.md)
# Cookbook
- [Recipes](./cookbook.md)
- [Parallelize evaluation with rayon](./cookbook/parallel.md)
- [Tune a model with expensive evaluations](./cookbook/expensive-evaluations.md)
- [Compare two algorithms on your problem](./cookbook/compare.md)
- [Optimize a permutation (TSP-style)](./cookbook/permutation.md)
- [Constrain your search with `Repair`](./cookbook/constraints.md)
- [Pick one answer off a Pareto front](./cookbook/pick-one.md)
- [Write your own algorithm](./cookbook/custom-optimizer.md)
# Reference
- [Comparison with other libraries](./comparison.md)
- [Stability and SemVer](./stability.md)
- [Migration guides](./migration.md)
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# Choosing an algorithm
The README has a compact decision tree. This chapter expands it with
the *reasoning* behind each branch.
## Step 0: How expensive is one evaluation?
This is the first fork because it changes everything that comes
after it.
| Eval cost | Budget you can afford | Algorithm family |
|----------------------------|---------------------------|-----------------------------|
| Microseconds (pure math) | 10 000 1 000 000 evals | Population-based |
| Milliseconds (sim, IO) | 1 000 10 000 evals | Population-based |
| Seconds (small training) | 100 1 000 evals | Sample-efficient (BO, TPE) |
| Minutes+ (full training) | 50 500 evals | Sample-efficient + multi-fidelity |
For the cheap-eval branch, you have the run of the catalog. For the
expensive branch, classical evolutionary methods waste your evaluation
budget — go to [`BayesianOpt`] or [`Tpe`]. For the *very* expensive
branch where each eval has a tunable budget (epochs, MC samples, sim
steps), [`Hyperband`] over the [`PartialProblem`] trait is the move.
## Step 1: How many objectives?
The biggest fork.
- **One** — there's a single best answer. Pick from the
single-objective branch.
- **Two or three** — a Pareto front. Pick from the multi-objective
branch.
- **Four or more** — a many-objective Pareto front; classical
multi-objective methods break down here because almost every pair
of points is non-dominated. Pick from the many-objective branch.
> **Pareto front:** the set of decisions where you cannot improve any
> objective without sacrificing another. In a 2-objective minimize
> problem, plot every solution; the Pareto front is the lower-left
> envelope.
If you found yourself staring at a single composite score that's a
weighted sum of conflicting goals, you probably have a multi-objective
problem in disguise. A weighted sum bakes in your preferences before
you've seen the trade-off; running a multi-objective optimizer first
and picking off the front later is almost always a better workflow
(see [Pick one answer off a Pareto front](./cookbook/pick-one.md)).
## Step 2 — single-objective continuous
These all take `Vec<f64>` decisions.
### Smooth, low-to-moderate dimension
[`CmaEs`] is the strong default. It adapts the search distribution's
covariance to the local landscape. On the comparison harness it
hits machine epsilon on Rosenbrock at 30 000 evaluations.
For very low-dimensional smooth problems (≤ 5 dim), [`NelderMead`] is
deterministic and converges to f = 0 exactly on Rosenbrock.
### High dimension, smooth
[`SeparableNes`] uses a diagonal covariance — cheaper per step than
CmaEs at the cost of being unable to model rotated landscapes. Worth
trying when CmaEs's `O(d²)` per-step cost hurts.
### Multimodal landscapes
Multimodal = many local minima that aren't the global one. Rastrigin
and Ackley are classic traps.
[`IpopCmaEs`] is CmaEs with an increasing-population restart strategy
specifically designed for this. On the harness it drops vanilla CmaEs's
Rastrigin score from f = 2.35 to f = 0.13.
[`DifferentialEvolution`] is rarely beaten on cheap multimodal
continuous problems. On Rastrigin it ties with `(1+1)-ES` at f = 0.
[`SimulatedAnnealing`] is a cheap, generic baseline that escapes local
optima via temperature decay.
### Want parameter-free
[`Tlbo`] (Teaching-Learning-Based Optimization) has no `F`, `CR`, `w`,
or `σ` to tune. Often a respectable middle-of-the-pack performer.
### Smallest possible self-adapting baseline
[`OnePlusOneEs`] — Rechenberg's 1973 `(1+1)`-ES with the one-fifth
success rule. On the harness it hits f = 0 on Rastrigin in 50 000
evaluations.
### Just want a baseline
[`RandomSearch`]. Useful as a sanity check: if your fancy optimizer
can't beat random search, something is wrong (with the fancy
optimizer or with the problem).
## Step 2 — single-objective other types
| Decision type | Algorithm | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| `Vec<bool>` | [`Umda`] | Per-bit marginal EDA. Independent-bit assumption. |
| `Vec<bool>` | [`GeneticAlgorithm`] + [`BitFlipMutation`] | When bit interactions matter. |
| `Vec<usize>` (permutation) | [`AntColonyTsp`] | TSP-style with a distance matrix. |
| `Vec<usize>` (permutation) | [`SimulatedAnnealing`] + [`SwapMutation`] | Generic discrete baseline. |
| `Vec<usize>` or custom | [`TabuSearch`] | You supply the neighbor function. |
| Custom struct | [`SimulatedAnnealing`] / [`HillClimber`] | With your own `Variation` impl. |
## Step 2 — multi-objective (2 or 3)
### Strong default
[`Nsga2`] is the canonical Pareto-based EA. Fast, well-understood,
maintains diversity via crowding distance. On the harness it lands
on the Pareto front of every test problem.
### Real-valued, smooth front, want best convergence
[`Mopso`] (multi-objective PSO with archive). On ZDT1 it wins
hypervolume outright and converges 100× tighter than the
dominance-based methods.
### Better front quality than NSGA-II
[`Ibea`] (indicator-based) is consistently the best of the
dominance-based methods on the harness — wins ZDT3 hypervolume and
DTLZ2 mean distance by 24×. It uses an additive ε-indicator for
selection rather than dominance + crowding.
[`Spea2`] (strength + density) — solid alternative; explicit external
archive separate from the population.
[`SmsEmoa`] uses exact hypervolume contribution for selection. Elegant
in theory; in practice on the harness budgets here it underperforms
NSGA-II. Worth the higher per-step cost only when exact HV
contribution is the right discriminator.
### Decomposition / weight-vector style
[`Moead`] decomposes the multi-objective problem into many scalar
sub-problems (Tchebycheff or weighted sum) and solves them in
parallel. Very fast per generation; scales naturally to many
objectives.
### Disconnected or non-convex front
[`AgeMoea`] estimates the front geometry adaptively (the L_p
parameter `p` is fit from data each generation).
[`Knea`] favors knee points — the regions of the front where small
gains in one objective cost large losses in another.
[`Ibea`] also handles disconnected fronts well.
### Region-based diversity
[`PesaII`] uses grid hyperboxes to drive selection — divide the
objective space into a grid, pick from the least-crowded boxes.
[`EpsilonMoea`] uses an ε-grid archive that auto-limits its size.
### Just one starting decision (no population budget)
[`Paes`] — `(1+1)`-ES with a Pareto archive. Cheap, simple, useful
when your evaluations are expensive enough that you can't afford a
population.
## Step 2 — many-objective (4+)
### Linear / simplex-shaped front (e.g., DTLZ1)
[`Grea`] — grid coords drive ranking. On DTLZ1 it beats NSGA-III by
3× and AGE-MOEA by 2.5×.
[`Moead`] — decomposition shines on linear fronts; second on DTLZ1
and among the fastest per generation.
### Curved / unknown front geometry
[`Nsga3`] — reference-point niching; canonical many-objective method;
strong default when the front isn't simplex-shaped.
[`AgeMoea`] — estimates L_p geometry per generation.
[`Rvea`] — reference vectors with adaptive penalty.
### Indicator-based selection
[`Ibea`] — additive ε-indicator; doesn't degrade at high obj count.
[`HypE`] — Monte Carlo hypervolume estimation; scales to arbitrary
objective count where exact HV is too expensive.
## Step 3: Are there hard constraints?
heuropt models constraints as a single scalar `constraint_violation`
on each `Evaluation`. Three escalations when the feasibility region
is hard to find:
1. **Penalty-only.** Just set `constraint_violation > 0` for
infeasible decisions. The default tournament/Pareto comparisons
prefer feasibles automatically.
2. **Repair.** Implement [`Repair<D>`] (or use the provided
[`ClampToBounds`] / [`ProjectToSimplex`]) to project infeasible
decisions back into the feasible region. Pair with a `Variation`
in a [`CompositeVariation`] for bounds-aware variants.
3. **Stochastic ranking.** Use [`stochastic_ranking_select`] instead
of `tournament_select_single_objective`. It probabilistically
explores near-feasibility instead of strict feasibility-first
ordering, which helps when feasible regions are narrow.
See [Constrain your search with `Repair`](./cookbook/constraints.md)
for worked examples.
## Step 4: Should you parallelize?
Enable the `parallel` feature flag if your `evaluate` takes more
than ~50 µs. Population-based algorithms ([`RandomSearch`], [`Nsga2`],
[`DifferentialEvolution`], [`Spea2`], [`Ibea`], [`Mopso`], …) batch-
evaluate via rayon when the feature is on. **Seeded runs stay
bit-identical** to serial mode.
```toml
heuropt = { version = "0.5", features = ["parallel"] }
```
## TL;DR table
| Situation | Pick |
|---|---|
| Smooth single-objective continuous | [`CmaEs`] |
| Multimodal single-objective continuous | [`IpopCmaEs`] or [`DifferentialEvolution`] |
| Expensive single-objective | [`BayesianOpt`] or [`Tpe`] |
| Multi-fidelity single-objective | [`Hyperband`] |
| 2- or 3-objective default | [`Nsga2`] |
| 2-objective real-valued smooth front | [`Mopso`] |
| Disconnected / non-convex front | [`Ibea`] |
| Many-objective default (curved front) | [`Nsga3`] |
| Many-objective linear / simplex front | [`Grea`] |
| Permutation problem | [`AntColonyTsp`] |
| Binary problem | [`Umda`] |
| Custom decision type | [`SimulatedAnnealing`] + your `Variation` |
| Sanity baseline | [`RandomSearch`] |
[`CmaEs`]: https://docs.rs/heuropt/latest/heuropt/algorithms/cma_es/struct.CmaEs.html
[`IpopCmaEs`]: https://docs.rs/heuropt/latest/heuropt/algorithms/ipop_cma_es/struct.IpopCmaEs.html
[`SeparableNes`]: https://docs.rs/heuropt/latest/heuropt/algorithms/snes/struct.SeparableNes.html
[`NelderMead`]: https://docs.rs/heuropt/latest/heuropt/algorithms/nelder_mead/struct.NelderMead.html
[`DifferentialEvolution`]: https://docs.rs/heuropt/latest/heuropt/algorithms/differential_evolution/struct.DifferentialEvolution.html
[`SimulatedAnnealing`]: https://docs.rs/heuropt/latest/heuropt/algorithms/simulated_annealing/struct.SimulatedAnnealing.html
[`Tlbo`]: https://docs.rs/heuropt/latest/heuropt/algorithms/tlbo/struct.Tlbo.html
[`OnePlusOneEs`]: https://docs.rs/heuropt/latest/heuropt/algorithms/one_plus_one_es/struct.OnePlusOneEs.html
[`RandomSearch`]: https://docs.rs/heuropt/latest/heuropt/algorithms/random_search/struct.RandomSearch.html
[`HillClimber`]: https://docs.rs/heuropt/latest/heuropt/algorithms/hill_climber/struct.HillClimber.html
[`BayesianOpt`]: https://docs.rs/heuropt/latest/heuropt/algorithms/bayesian_opt/struct.BayesianOpt.html
[`Tpe`]: https://docs.rs/heuropt/latest/heuropt/algorithms/tpe/struct.Tpe.html
[`Hyperband`]: https://docs.rs/heuropt/latest/heuropt/algorithms/hyperband/struct.Hyperband.html
[`PartialProblem`]: https://docs.rs/heuropt/latest/heuropt/core/partial_problem/trait.PartialProblem.html
[`Umda`]: https://docs.rs/heuropt/latest/heuropt/algorithms/umda/struct.Umda.html
[`GeneticAlgorithm`]: https://docs.rs/heuropt/latest/heuropt/algorithms/genetic_algorithm/struct.GeneticAlgorithm.html
[`BitFlipMutation`]: https://docs.rs/heuropt/latest/heuropt/operators/struct.BitFlipMutation.html
[`AntColonyTsp`]: https://docs.rs/heuropt/latest/heuropt/algorithms/ant_colony_tsp/struct.AntColonyTsp.html
[`SwapMutation`]: https://docs.rs/heuropt/latest/heuropt/operators/struct.SwapMutation.html
[`TabuSearch`]: https://docs.rs/heuropt/latest/heuropt/algorithms/tabu_search/struct.TabuSearch.html
[`Nsga2`]: https://docs.rs/heuropt/latest/heuropt/algorithms/nsga2/struct.Nsga2.html
[`Nsga3`]: https://docs.rs/heuropt/latest/heuropt/algorithms/nsga3/struct.Nsga3.html
[`Mopso`]: https://docs.rs/heuropt/latest/heuropt/algorithms/mopso/struct.Mopso.html
[`Ibea`]: https://docs.rs/heuropt/latest/heuropt/algorithms/ibea/struct.Ibea.html
[`Spea2`]: https://docs.rs/heuropt/latest/heuropt/algorithms/spea2/struct.Spea2.html
[`SmsEmoa`]: https://docs.rs/heuropt/latest/heuropt/algorithms/sms_emoa/struct.SmsEmoa.html
[`Moead`]: https://docs.rs/heuropt/latest/heuropt/algorithms/moead/struct.Moead.html
[`AgeMoea`]: https://docs.rs/heuropt/latest/heuropt/algorithms/age_moea/struct.AgeMoea.html
[`Knea`]: https://docs.rs/heuropt/latest/heuropt/algorithms/knea/struct.Knea.html
[`PesaII`]: https://docs.rs/heuropt/latest/heuropt/algorithms/pesa2/struct.PesaII.html
[`EpsilonMoea`]: https://docs.rs/heuropt/latest/heuropt/algorithms/epsilon_moea/struct.EpsilonMoea.html
[`Paes`]: https://docs.rs/heuropt/latest/heuropt/algorithms/paes/struct.Paes.html
[`Grea`]: https://docs.rs/heuropt/latest/heuropt/algorithms/grea/struct.Grea.html
[`Rvea`]: https://docs.rs/heuropt/latest/heuropt/algorithms/rvea/struct.Rvea.html
[`HypE`]: https://docs.rs/heuropt/latest/heuropt/algorithms/hype/struct.Hype.html
[`Repair<D>`]: https://docs.rs/heuropt/latest/heuropt/traits/trait.Repair.html
[`ClampToBounds`]: https://docs.rs/heuropt/latest/heuropt/operators/struct.ClampToBounds.html
[`ProjectToSimplex`]: https://docs.rs/heuropt/latest/heuropt/operators/struct.ProjectToSimplex.html
[`stochastic_ranking_select`]: https://docs.rs/heuropt/latest/heuropt/selection/tournament/fn.stochastic_ranking_select.html
[`CompositeVariation`]: https://docs.rs/heuropt/latest/heuropt/operators/struct.CompositeVariation.html
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# Comparison with other libraries
heuropt is one of many heuristic-optimization libraries. This chapter
is an honest, opinionated comparison to help you choose.
The columns:
- **Lang** — primary implementation language.
- **Algorithms** — rough catalog count.
- **Multi-obj** — built-in support for Pareto-based multi-objective
optimization.
- **Surrogates** — built-in Bayesian / TPE / multi-fidelity.
- **Determinism** — seeded reproducibility as a first-class property.
- **Async / async-eval** — first-class async runtime support.
| Library | Lang | Algorithms | Multi-obj | Surrogates | Determinism | Async |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| **heuropt 0.5** | Rust | 35 | ✅ NSGA-II/III, SPEA2, IBEA, MOEA/D, MOPSO, SMS-EMOA, HypE, AGE-MOEA, GrEA, KnEA, RVEA, PESA-II, ε-MOEA, PAES | ✅ BO, TPE, Hyperband | ✅ bit-identical seeded | ⏳ planned |
| pymoo | Python | ~25 | ✅ extensive | partial (BO via plug-ins) | ✅ | ❌ |
| DEAP | Python | flexible toolbox | ✅ | ❌ | ✅ | ❌ |
| hyperopt | Python | TPE-focused | ❌ | ✅ TPE | partial | partial |
| optuna | Python | TPE / CMA-ES / NSGA-II | ✅ | ✅ TPE, BoTorch via plug-in | ✅ | ✅ |
| MOEA Framework | Java | ~40 | ✅ very extensive | ❌ | ✅ | ❌ |
| metaheuristics-rs | Rust | ~10 | partial | ❌ | ✅ | ❌ |
| argmin | Rust | line-search / quasi-Newton | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ | ❌ |
## When to pick heuropt
- You're working in **Rust** and want a single, dependency-light crate
for evolutionary / metaheuristic optimization.
- You need **multi-objective or many-objective** algorithms (12+
Pareto-aware methods in the catalog) AND you don't want to glue
Python into your Rust pipeline.
- You want **bit-identical determinism**: same seed produces same
output, on every machine, across releases unless explicitly noted
otherwise.
- You want a **small, readable codebase** — every algorithm is
written for clarity, no trait-object plumbing, no GATs in user-
facing APIs. Reading `RandomSearch` should be enough to write a
new optimizer.
## When *not* to pick heuropt
- You need **first-class async / await** for evaluations that talk to
HTTP services or spawn subprocesses. heuropt is sync; that's on
the roadmap but not shipping yet.
- You need **gradient-based** optimization. Use `argmin` (Rust) or
`scipy.optimize` (Python) — heuropt is gradient-free by design.
- You need **GPU-accelerated** evaluations. heuropt's `evaluate`
function runs on CPU; use Python (jax/torch) or roll your own
GPU pipeline.
- You need **distributed multi-machine** evaluation. heuropt
parallelizes within one process via rayon. Distribution is up to
you (split the seeds across machines, aggregate).
- You're comfortable in Python and pymoo / optuna already cover
your problem. heuropt's value-add over pymoo is mostly that it's
Rust — if that doesn't matter to you, the Python ecosystem has more
battle-tested integrations.
## Algorithm coverage at a glance
heuropt covers the same major Pareto MOEAs as pymoo and MOEA Framework:
NSGA-II/III, SPEA2, IBEA, MOEA/D, MOPSO, SMS-EMOA, HypE, AGE-MOEA,
GrEA, KnEA, RVEA, PESA-II, ε-MOEA, PAES.
The expensive-evaluation regime: BayesianOpt + TPE + Hyperband. This
is comparable to optuna's coverage but in pure Rust.
The single-objective continuous catalog (CMA-ES, IPOP-CMA-ES, sNES,
DE, PSO, GA, TLBO, (1+1)-ES, NelderMead, RandomSearch, HillClimber,
SimulatedAnnealing) covers the canonical baselines and several modern
variants.
What heuropt does **not** ship that some libraries do:
- **Re-themed metaphor metaheuristics** (Whale Optimization, Grey
Wolf, Bat, Firefly, Harris Hawks, etc.). These are cut from the
catalog deliberately — they are mostly DE/PSO with new names. If
you specifically need one, please open an issue with citations.
- **Non-evolutionary global optimizers** like dual annealing or
basin-hopping (use `scipy.optimize` for those).
- **A web UI / dashboard** like optuna's. heuropt is library-only.
## Speed
heuropt's hot paths (Pareto utilities, hypervolume, key inner loops)
are heavily optimized — see the perf entry in the v0.4.0 CHANGELOG.
On the comparison harness in `examples/compare.rs` (10-seed mean,
30 000 evaluations on DTLZ2), the total wall-clock time across 12
algorithms is ~5 seconds. Per-algorithm timings are in
[`examples/compare-results.md`](https://github.com/swaits/heuropt/blob/main/examples/compare-results.md).
For comparison-shopping speed against Python libraries, the gap is
typically 10×–100× in heuropt's favor for compute-bound
`evaluate` functions, because Rust skips the Python-loop overhead. If
your `evaluate` calls into NumPy/PyTorch and those are the bottleneck,
the gap shrinks substantially.
## Honest weakness: ecosystem
The biggest thing pymoo / optuna / DEAP have that heuropt doesn't:
**community + plug-ins + tutorials**. They've been around longer and
have rich third-party integrations (visualization, MLflow,
Hyperband+BO hybrids, distributed runners). heuropt is younger; the
core is solid but the ecosystem is small.
If you adopt heuropt and miss a thing, the project is small enough
that contributions land fast. See [CONTRIBUTING.md](https://github.com/swaits/heuropt/blob/main/CONTRIBUTING.md).
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# Cookbook
Short, focused recipes for the patterns that come up in practice.
Each recipe is self-contained and small enough to copy into your own
project.
## Recipes
- [Parallelize evaluation with rayon](./cookbook/parallel.md) — when
your `evaluate` is non-trivial, the `parallel` feature pays for
itself almost immediately.
- [Tune a model with expensive evaluations](./cookbook/expensive-evaluations.md)
`BayesianOpt`, `Tpe`, and `Hyperband` for the 50500-eval
regime.
- [Compare two algorithms on your problem](./cookbook/compare.md) —
multi-seed harness pattern straight from `examples/compare.rs`.
- [Optimize a permutation (TSP-style)](./cookbook/permutation.md) —
`AntColonyTsp` with a distance matrix.
- [Constrain your search with `Repair`](./cookbook/constraints.md) —
bounds, simplex projection, custom repair.
- [Pick one answer off a Pareto front](./cookbook/pick-one.md) — the
a-posteriori weighted-decision pattern from the `jiggly_tuning`
example.
- [Write your own algorithm](./cookbook/custom-optimizer.md) —
implement `Optimizer<P>` from scratch, à la the
`examples/custom_optimizer.rs` walkthrough.
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# Compare two algorithms on your problem
The harness in `examples/compare.rs` runs every applicable algorithm
against every test problem with N seeds and reports mean ± std.
You can lift the same pattern for your own problem in ~30 lines.
## The pattern
1. Wrap your problem in a struct that implements [`Problem`].
2. Pick a few candidate algorithms.
3. For each algorithm × seed, run and record the metric you care about.
4. Print mean ± std.
## Worked example
```rust,no_run
use heuropt::prelude::*;
use std::time::Instant;
struct MyProblem;
impl Problem for MyProblem {
type Decision = Vec<f64>;
fn objectives(&self) -> ObjectiveSpace {
ObjectiveSpace::new(vec![Objective::minimize("f")])
}
fn evaluate(&self, x: &Vec<f64>) -> Evaluation {
// your problem here
Evaluation::new(vec![x.iter().map(|v| v * v).sum::<f64>()])
}
}
const SEEDS: u64 = 10;
const DIM: usize = 5;
const BUDGET: usize = 30_000;
fn main() {
let bounds: Vec<(f64, f64)> = vec![(-5.0, 5.0); DIM];
let mut best_de = vec![];
let mut best_cmaes = vec![];
let mut best_ipop = vec![];
let mut t_de = vec![];
let mut t_cmaes = vec![];
let mut t_ipop = vec![];
for seed in 0..SEEDS {
// Differential Evolution
let t = Instant::now();
let mut de = DifferentialEvolution::new(
DifferentialEvolutionConfig {
population_size: 30,
generations: BUDGET / 30,
differential_weight: 0.5,
crossover_probability: 0.9,
seed,
},
RealBounds::new(bounds.clone()),
);
let r = de.run(&MyProblem);
t_de.push(t.elapsed().as_millis() as f64);
best_de.push(r.best.unwrap().evaluation.objectives[0]);
// CMA-ES
let t = Instant::now();
let mut cma = CmaEs::new(
CmaEsConfig {
population_size: 12,
generations: BUDGET / 12,
initial_sigma: 1.0,
eigen_decomposition_period: 1,
initial_mean: None,
seed,
},
RealBounds::new(bounds.clone()),
);
let r = cma.run(&MyProblem);
t_cmaes.push(t.elapsed().as_millis() as f64);
best_cmaes.push(r.best.unwrap().evaluation.objectives[0]);
// IPOP-CMA-ES
let t = Instant::now();
let mut ipop = IpopCmaEs::new(
IpopCmaEsConfig {
base: CmaEsConfig {
population_size: 12,
generations: BUDGET / 12 / 4,
initial_sigma: 1.0,
eigen_decomposition_period: 1,
initial_mean: None,
seed,
},
max_restarts: 3,
population_factor: 2.0,
seed,
},
RealBounds::new(bounds.clone()),
);
let r = ipop.run(&MyProblem);
t_ipop.push(t.elapsed().as_millis() as f64);
best_ipop.push(r.best.unwrap().evaluation.objectives[0]);
}
println!("{:<12} {:>14} {:>10}", "algorithm", "best f (mean±std)", "ms");
print_row("DE", &best_de, &t_de);
print_row("CMA-ES", &best_cmaes, &t_cmaes);
print_row("IPOP-CMA-ES", &best_ipop, &t_ipop);
}
fn print_row(name: &str, values: &[f64], times: &[f64]) {
let (m, s) = mean_std(values);
let (t, _) = mean_std(times);
println!("{:<12} {:>10.3e} ± {:>5.2e} {:>6.0}", name, m, s, t);
}
fn mean_std(xs: &[f64]) -> (f64, f64) {
let n = xs.len() as f64;
let m = xs.iter().sum::<f64>() / n;
let v = xs.iter().map(|x| (x - m).powi(2)).sum::<f64>() / n;
(m, v.sqrt())
}
```
## What to record
- **`best.evaluation.objectives[0]`** for single-objective.
- **`hypervolume_2d(&result.pareto_front, &space, ref_point)`** for
2-objective.
- **`spacing(&result.pareto_front, &space)`** for front uniformity.
- **`result.evaluations`** to cross-check that every algorithm got
the same evaluation budget.
- Wall-clock `Instant::now()` deltas for runtime comparison.
## Pitfalls
- **Population size matters.** Different algorithms have very
different sweet spots. Don't just give them all the same
population — the README's algorithm pages note typical defaults.
- **Different algorithms count "generations" differently.** What
matters is the total `evaluations` count. Set
`generations = BUDGET / population_size` to match across
algorithms (with caveats for steady-state algorithms like SMS-EMOA
that evaluate one offspring per generation).
- **One seed is not a comparison.** Always run ≥ 5 seeds; ≥ 10 is
better. Single-seed comparisons are noise.
- **The harness in `examples/compare.rs` is the canonical version.**
When in doubt, copy from there.
[`Problem`]: https://docs.rs/heuropt/latest/heuropt/core/problem/trait.Problem.html
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# Constrain your search with `Repair`
heuropt models constraints with a single `constraint_violation` scalar
on each `Evaluation`. That works for soft penalties. When constraints
are *hard* and the search keeps generating infeasible decisions, the
better pattern is **repair**: project each candidate back into the
feasible region every time it leaves.
The [`Repair<D>`] trait is the abstraction. Two impls ship in the box;
you can write your own for arbitrary geometry.
## Built-in: `ClampToBounds`
For per-axis box constraints (`lo ≤ xᵢ ≤ hi`), pair `ClampToBounds`
with any `Variation` to get a bounds-aware variant for free.
```rust,no_run
use heuropt::prelude::*;
let bounds = vec![(-5.0, 5.0); 3];
// Without bounds, GaussianMutation can step outside the search box.
// ClampToBounds projects each variable back in.
let mut sigma = GaussianMutation { sigma: 0.5 };
let mut clamp = ClampToBounds::new(bounds.clone());
let mut rng = rng_from_seed(42);
let parent = vec![4.9, -4.9, 0.0];
let mut child = sigma.vary(std::slice::from_ref(&parent), &mut rng).pop().unwrap();
clamp.repair(&mut child);
// every entry of `child` is now within [-5, 5].
```
`ClampToBounds` is idempotent: applying it twice is the same as
applying it once.
For most real problems you'd just use [`BoundedGaussianMutation`]
which combines both in one operator.
## Built-in: `ProjectToSimplex`
For *budget* constraints — "the components must sum to a fixed
total and be non-negative" — `ProjectToSimplex` projects onto the
probability simplex (or any scaled simplex).
```rust,no_run
use heuropt::prelude::*;
let mut proj = ProjectToSimplex::new(1.0); // probability simplex
let mut x = vec![0.6, 0.5, -0.1, 0.3]; // sum 1.3, one negative
proj.repair(&mut x);
// x now sums to 1.0 and every entry is ≥ 0.
let s: f64 = x.iter().sum();
debug_assert!((s - 1.0).abs() < 1e-12);
debug_assert!(x.iter().all(|&v| v >= 0.0));
```
Use this for portfolio / resource-allocation problems where the
decision is a vector of weights that must sum to a budget.
## Custom repair
Anything that takes a `&mut Vec<f64>` (or any `&mut D` for your
custom decision type) and returns a feasible version is a valid
`Repair`. Implement the trait directly:
```rust,no_run
use heuropt::prelude::*;
/// Force the largest variable to be at least `min_largest`.
struct AtLeastOneActive { min_largest: f64 }
impl Repair<Vec<f64>> for AtLeastOneActive {
fn repair(&mut self, x: &mut Vec<f64>) {
let max_idx = x.iter()
.enumerate()
.fold(0, |best, (i, &v)| {
if v > x[best] { i } else { best }
});
if x[max_idx] < self.min_largest {
x[max_idx] = self.min_largest;
}
}
}
```
## Stochastic-ranking selection
When the feasible region is *narrow* — most of the search space is
infeasible — the strict "feasibles always beat infeasibles" rule
traps the search outside it. Runarsson & Yao's stochastic ranking
breaks the trap by, on each pairwise comparison, using a probabilistic
"compare by objective" instead of "compare by feasibility" with a
small probability `pf`:
```rust,ignore
use heuropt::selection::tournament::stochastic_ranking_select;
let picks = stochastic_ranking_select(
&population,
&objectives,
0.45, // pf — Runarsson & Yao's canonical value
count,
&mut rng,
);
```
This is a drop-in replacement for `tournament_select_single_objective`
in your custom optimizer or in a forked algorithm.
## When to use which
| Situation | Use |
|---|---|
| Box constraints | [`BoundedGaussianMutation`] (built-in mutation) |
| Manual repair after any mutation | [`ClampToBounds`] |
| Budget / probability-simplex constraints | [`ProjectToSimplex`] |
| Custom geometric constraints | Your own `Repair` impl |
| Narrow feasible region, frequent infeasibility | [`stochastic_ranking_select`] |
| Soft penalty, mostly feasible search | Set `constraint_violation` and let default tournament handle it |
[`Repair<D>`]: https://docs.rs/heuropt/latest/heuropt/traits/trait.Repair.html
[`ClampToBounds`]: https://docs.rs/heuropt/latest/heuropt/operators/struct.ClampToBounds.html
[`ProjectToSimplex`]: https://docs.rs/heuropt/latest/heuropt/operators/struct.ProjectToSimplex.html
[`BoundedGaussianMutation`]: https://docs.rs/heuropt/latest/heuropt/operators/struct.BoundedGaussianMutation.html
[`stochastic_ranking_select`]: https://docs.rs/heuropt/latest/heuropt/selection/tournament/fn.stochastic_ranking_select.html
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# Write your own algorithm
Implement [`Optimizer<P>`] and you're done. There are no other traits
to think about, no internal hooks to register. The example walks
through a tiny hill-climber that reads almost identically to the
canonical pseudocode.
## The trait
```rust,ignore
pub trait Optimizer<P>
where
P: Problem,
{
fn run(&mut self, problem: &P) -> OptimizationResult<P::Decision>;
}
```
That's it. You own your config, your RNG, your main loop, and your
`OptimizationResult` construction.
## A minimal hill-climber
```rust,no_run
use heuropt::prelude::*;
pub struct MyHillClimber<I, V> {
pub iterations: usize,
pub seed: u64,
pub initializer: I,
pub variation: V,
}
impl<P, I, V> Optimizer<P> for MyHillClimber<I, V>
where
P: Problem,
P::Decision: Clone,
I: Initializer<P::Decision>,
V: Variation<P::Decision>,
{
fn run(&mut self, problem: &P) -> OptimizationResult<P::Decision> {
let mut rng = rng_from_seed(self.seed);
let objectives = problem.objectives();
assert!(objectives.is_single_objective(), "MyHillClimber is single-objective only");
// Start with one initial decision.
let init_decisions = self.initializer.initialize(1, &mut rng);
let init = init_decisions.into_iter().next().unwrap();
let mut current = Candidate::new(init.clone(), problem.evaluate(&init));
let mut evaluations: usize = 1;
for _ in 0..self.iterations {
let children = self.variation.vary(std::slice::from_ref(&current.decision), &mut rng);
for child_decision in children {
let child_eval = problem.evaluate(&child_decision);
evaluations += 1;
let child = Candidate::new(child_decision, child_eval);
if better(&child.evaluation, &current.evaluation, &objectives) {
current = child;
}
}
}
let pareto_front = vec![current.clone()];
let best = Some(current.clone());
OptimizationResult::new(
Population::new(vec![current]),
pareto_front,
best,
evaluations,
self.iterations,
)
}
}
fn better(a: &Evaluation, b: &Evaluation, objectives: &ObjectiveSpace) -> bool {
let am = objectives.as_minimization(&a.objectives);
let bm = objectives.as_minimization(&b.objectives);
am[0] < bm[0]
}
```
## Things to notice
- **`Rng` is one concrete type.** No generics — call
[`rng_from_seed`] and pass `&mut rng` everywhere it's needed.
- **`Initializer<D>`** sources the starting point(s).
- **`Variation<D>`** generates children from parents. For the
hill-climber it's called with one parent.
- **`OptimizationResult`** carries the final population, the Pareto
front (just the best for single-objective), the best candidate,
the total evaluations, and the iteration count.
- **`as_minimization`** flips maximize-axis values so your
comparison logic only ever needs to deal with "lower is better."
## Adding parallel evaluation
If your algorithm batch-evaluates candidates per generation, use the
crate's internal helper. From inside heuropt source you can call
`evaluate_batch(problem, decisions)`; from outside you'd use rayon
directly behind a feature flag, the same way the built-in algorithms
do.
```rust,ignore
#[cfg(feature = "parallel")]
fn batch_eval<P>(problem: &P, decisions: Vec<P::Decision>) -> Vec<Candidate<P::Decision>>
where P: Problem + Sync, P::Decision: Send,
{
use rayon::prelude::*;
decisions.into_par_iter()
.map(|d| Candidate::new(d.clone(), problem.evaluate(&d)))
.collect()
}
#[cfg(not(feature = "parallel"))]
fn batch_eval<P>(problem: &P, decisions: Vec<P::Decision>) -> Vec<Candidate<P::Decision>>
where P: Problem,
{
decisions.into_iter()
.map(|d| Candidate::new(d.clone(), problem.evaluate(&d)))
.collect()
}
```
To stay bit-identical between serial and parallel modes, keep the
RNG and selection on the main thread; only the *evaluations* run in
parallel.
## What's *not* in the trait
- **No iteration / step API.** The optimizer owns its loop.
- **No callbacks.** A future minor release may add an observer hook;
for now you'd run the algorithm to completion and process the
result.
- **No error type.** Invalid configuration panics with a clear
message; this matches the style of the built-in algorithms.
- **No async.** `evaluate` is synchronous; for async work, drive it
on a tokio runtime around the optimizer loop yourself.
The smallness is the point: you should be able to read a built-in
algorithm and write your own in an afternoon. See
`examples/custom_optimizer.rs` for a slightly more polished version
of the hill-climber above.
[`Optimizer<P>`]: https://docs.rs/heuropt/latest/heuropt/traits/trait.Optimizer.html
[`rng_from_seed`]: https://docs.rs/heuropt/latest/heuropt/core/rng/fn.rng_from_seed.html
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# Tune a model with expensive evaluations
Population-based EAs throw thousands of evaluations at a problem. If
each evaluation costs a minute (a model training run, a CFD solve, a
real-world measurement) you can't afford that. heuropt has three
algorithms aimed at this regime.
| Algorithm | Surrogate | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| [`BayesianOpt`] | Gaussian process + Expected Improvement | The textbook choice; needs kernel tuning to shine |
| [`Tpe`] | Kernel-density estimate of good vs bad points | Cheaper per step; more robust without tuning |
| [`Hyperband`] | (none — it's a multi-fidelity scheduler) | When each eval has a tunable budget (epochs, MC samples) |
## When each is right
- **Black-box, fixed cost per eval, smooth-ish landscape** → BO.
- **Black-box, fixed cost per eval, no time to tune the surrogate** → TPE.
- **Each eval has a tunable fidelity** → Hyperband.
## Bayesian Optimization
A worked example with a synthetic 5-D problem and a 60-evaluation
budget — same configuration the `compare` harness uses.
```rust,no_run
use heuropt::prelude::*;
struct Rosenbrock5D;
impl Problem for Rosenbrock5D {
type Decision = Vec<f64>;
fn objectives(&self) -> ObjectiveSpace {
ObjectiveSpace::new(vec![Objective::minimize("f")])
}
fn evaluate(&self, x: &Vec<f64>) -> Evaluation {
let f: f64 = x.windows(2).map(|w|
100.0 * (w[1] - w[0].powi(2)).powi(2) + (1.0 - w[0]).powi(2)
).sum();
Evaluation::new(vec![f])
}
}
let bounds = vec![(-2.048_f64, 2.048_f64); 5];
let mut opt = BayesianOpt::new(
BayesianOptConfig {
evaluations: 60,
initial_samples: 10,
length_scale: 1.0,
signal_variance: 1.0,
noise_variance: 1e-6,
seed: 42,
},
RealBounds::new(bounds),
);
let r = opt.run(&Rosenbrock5D);
println!("best f after 60 evals: {}", r.best.unwrap().evaluation.objectives[0]);
```
> **Honest disclosure.** On the comparison harness this default
> configuration produces **f ≈ 3170 ± 2920** on Rosenbrock 5-D — well
> below what a tuned BO can do. The default RBF kernel without
> per-problem hyperparameter tuning is the limitation. For real
> workloads, consider:
>
> - More evaluations (200+ instead of 60).
> - Tuning `length_scale` to a known scale of your problem
> (lower for high-frequency landscapes, higher for smooth ones).
> - TPE instead of BO if you don't want to tune the kernel.
## Tree-structured Parzen Estimator
TPE keeps two density estimates — `l(x)` over historical good points
and `g(x)` over the rest — and picks new candidates that maximize the
ratio. Cheaper per step than a GP and famously robust without
hand-tuning.
```rust,no_run
use heuropt::prelude::*;
# struct Rosenbrock5D;
# impl Problem for Rosenbrock5D {
# type Decision = Vec<f64>;
# fn objectives(&self) -> ObjectiveSpace { ObjectiveSpace::new(vec![Objective::minimize("f")]) }
# fn evaluate(&self, _x: &Vec<f64>) -> Evaluation { Evaluation::new(vec![0.0]) }
# }
let bounds = vec![(-2.048_f64, 2.048_f64); 5];
let mut opt = Tpe::new(
TpeConfig {
evaluations: 60,
initial_samples: 10,
gamma: 0.25,
candidates_per_step: 24,
bandwidth_factor: 1.06,
seed: 42,
},
RealBounds::new(bounds),
);
let _r = opt.run(&Rosenbrock5D);
```
`gamma` is the fraction of best points used as `l(x)`; `0.25` is the
canonical Bergstra value.
## Hyperband
[`Hyperband`] needs your problem to implement [`PartialProblem`] —
that is, you can evaluate at a tunable fidelity (e.g. number of
training epochs). The algorithm schedules many cheap-fidelity runs
and promotes only the survivors to higher fidelity.
```rust,no_run
use heuropt::prelude::*;
use heuropt::core::partial_problem::PartialProblem;
struct ModelTuning;
impl Problem for ModelTuning {
type Decision = Vec<f64>;
fn objectives(&self) -> ObjectiveSpace {
ObjectiveSpace::new(vec![Objective::minimize("val_loss")])
}
fn evaluate(&self, x: &Vec<f64>) -> Evaluation {
// Full-fidelity eval = train at max_epochs.
self.evaluate_at_budget(x, 100.0)
}
}
impl PartialProblem for ModelTuning {
fn evaluate_at_budget(&self, x: &Vec<f64>, budget: f64) -> Evaluation {
// Replace with: train your model for `budget` epochs, return val_loss.
// For demo, pretend more budget = lower noisy loss.
let lr = x[0];
let wd = x[1];
let loss = (lr - 0.001).powi(2) + (wd - 1e-4).powi(2)
+ 1.0 / (budget + 1.0);
Evaluation::new(vec![loss])
}
}
let bounds = vec![(1e-5_f64, 1e-1), (1e-6_f64, 1e-2)];
let mut hyperband = Hyperband::new(
HyperbandConfig {
max_budget: 100.0,
eta: 3.0,
seed: 42,
},
RealBounds::new(bounds),
);
let _r = hyperband.run(&ModelTuning);
```
`max_budget` is the most epochs (or whatever your fidelity unit is)
you'd ever spend on a single config. `eta` controls how aggressive
the elimination is — `3.0` is the classic value; higher means more
aggressive culling.
## Strategy: combining surrogate + multi-fidelity
The state of the art (BOHB) combines BO with Hyperband: TPE picks the
configurations Hyperband then evaluates at increasing fidelity.
heuropt doesn't ship a unified BOHB but the building blocks are
there — wrap your `PartialProblem` with a TPE-driven sampler and
feed the picks into `Hyperband`. PRs welcome.
[`BayesianOpt`]: https://docs.rs/heuropt/latest/heuropt/algorithms/bayesian_opt/struct.BayesianOpt.html
[`Tpe`]: https://docs.rs/heuropt/latest/heuropt/algorithms/tpe/struct.Tpe.html
[`Hyperband`]: https://docs.rs/heuropt/latest/heuropt/algorithms/hyperband/struct.Hyperband.html
[`PartialProblem`]: https://docs.rs/heuropt/latest/heuropt/core/partial_problem/trait.PartialProblem.html
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# Parallelize evaluation with rayon
If a single call to your `evaluate` takes more than ~50 µs, enabling
the `parallel` feature usually pays for itself immediately on
population-based algorithms. Each generation evaluates an entire
population, and rayon parallelizes that batch.
## Enable the feature
```toml
[dependencies]
heuropt = { version = "0.5", features = ["parallel"] }
```
There's nothing else to opt into in your code. The
population-evaluation helper is feature-gated; with `parallel` on it
uses `rayon::into_par_iter` internally, with `parallel` off it falls
back to plain `into_iter`.
## Determinism still holds
Seeded runs are bit-identical between the serial and parallel modes.
The trick is that population members are evaluated in parallel but
*assembled* back into the same order. Variation, selection, and the
RNG are all driven by the main thread, so seed-stability tests still
pass.
## Which algorithms benefit
Algorithms with a per-generation `evaluate_batch`:
- [`RandomSearch`], [`Nsga2`], [`Nsga3`], [`Spea2`], [`Moead`],
[`Mopso`], [`Ibea`], [`SmsEmoa`], [`HypE`], [`PesaII`],
[`EpsilonMoea`], [`AgeMoea`], [`Knea`], [`Grea`], [`Rvea`].
- [`DifferentialEvolution`] and [`GeneticAlgorithm`] benefit on the
initial population and offspring batches.
Steady-state algorithms ([`Paes`], [`SimulatedAnnealing`],
[`HillClimber`], [`OnePlusOneEs`]) only evaluate one or a few
candidates per iteration, so the parallel feature gives them
nothing — leave it off if those are your primary optimizers.
## Worked example
The Sphere problem is too cheap to actually benefit from parallelism
— this example just shows the shape. In real workloads `evaluate` is
the expensive bit (a simulation, a model fit, an HTTP call).
```rust,no_run
use heuropt::prelude::*;
struct ExpensiveSphere;
impl Problem for ExpensiveSphere {
type Decision = Vec<f64>;
fn objectives(&self) -> ObjectiveSpace {
ObjectiveSpace::new(vec![Objective::minimize("f")])
}
fn evaluate(&self, x: &Vec<f64>) -> Evaluation {
// Pretend this is a 5 ms simulation.
std::thread::sleep(std::time::Duration::from_millis(5));
Evaluation::new(vec![x.iter().map(|v| v * v).sum::<f64>()])
}
}
fn main() {
let bounds = vec![(-1.0_f64, 1.0_f64); 5];
let mut opt = DifferentialEvolution::new(
DifferentialEvolutionConfig {
population_size: 16,
generations: 50,
differential_weight: 0.5,
crossover_probability: 0.9,
seed: 42,
},
RealBounds::new(bounds),
);
let r = opt.run(&ExpensiveSphere);
println!("best f = {}", r.best.unwrap().evaluation.objectives[0]);
}
```
With the `parallel` feature on, each generation's 16 evaluations run
across rayon's worker threads. On a 16-core machine the wall-clock
cost per generation drops from `16 × 5 ms = 80 ms` to roughly
`5 ms + scheduling overhead`.
## Sizing your thread pool
heuropt uses rayon's global thread pool. Override the size with:
```rust,ignore
rayon::ThreadPoolBuilder::new().num_threads(8).build_global().unwrap();
```
Run this **before** any heuropt call, or use rayon's `install` API
to scope it.
## When parallelism *doesn't* help
- Your `evaluate` is sub-microsecond (Sphere, Rastrigin, Ackley
unweighted) — the rayon scheduling overhead exceeds the work.
- You're already running multiple seeds in parallel at the harness
level (see [Compare two algorithms](./compare.md)). Stacking
parallelism rarely helps.
- The algorithm is steady-state (Paes, SA, hill climber).
[`RandomSearch`]: https://docs.rs/heuropt/latest/heuropt/algorithms/random_search/struct.RandomSearch.html
[`Nsga2`]: https://docs.rs/heuropt/latest/heuropt/algorithms/nsga2/struct.Nsga2.html
[`Nsga3`]: https://docs.rs/heuropt/latest/heuropt/algorithms/nsga3/struct.Nsga3.html
[`Spea2`]: https://docs.rs/heuropt/latest/heuropt/algorithms/spea2/struct.Spea2.html
[`Moead`]: https://docs.rs/heuropt/latest/heuropt/algorithms/moead/struct.Moead.html
[`Mopso`]: https://docs.rs/heuropt/latest/heuropt/algorithms/mopso/struct.Mopso.html
[`Ibea`]: https://docs.rs/heuropt/latest/heuropt/algorithms/ibea/struct.Ibea.html
[`SmsEmoa`]: https://docs.rs/heuropt/latest/heuropt/algorithms/sms_emoa/struct.SmsEmoa.html
[`HypE`]: https://docs.rs/heuropt/latest/heuropt/algorithms/hype/struct.Hype.html
[`PesaII`]: https://docs.rs/heuropt/latest/heuropt/algorithms/pesa2/struct.PesaII.html
[`EpsilonMoea`]: https://docs.rs/heuropt/latest/heuropt/algorithms/epsilon_moea/struct.EpsilonMoea.html
[`AgeMoea`]: https://docs.rs/heuropt/latest/heuropt/algorithms/age_moea/struct.AgeMoea.html
[`Knea`]: https://docs.rs/heuropt/latest/heuropt/algorithms/knea/struct.Knea.html
[`Grea`]: https://docs.rs/heuropt/latest/heuropt/algorithms/grea/struct.Grea.html
[`Rvea`]: https://docs.rs/heuropt/latest/heuropt/algorithms/rvea/struct.Rvea.html
[`DifferentialEvolution`]: https://docs.rs/heuropt/latest/heuropt/algorithms/differential_evolution/struct.DifferentialEvolution.html
[`GeneticAlgorithm`]: https://docs.rs/heuropt/latest/heuropt/algorithms/genetic_algorithm/struct.GeneticAlgorithm.html
[`Paes`]: https://docs.rs/heuropt/latest/heuropt/algorithms/paes/struct.Paes.html
[`SimulatedAnnealing`]: https://docs.rs/heuropt/latest/heuropt/algorithms/simulated_annealing/struct.SimulatedAnnealing.html
[`HillClimber`]: https://docs.rs/heuropt/latest/heuropt/algorithms/hill_climber/struct.HillClimber.html
[`OnePlusOneEs`]: https://docs.rs/heuropt/latest/heuropt/algorithms/one_plus_one_es/struct.OnePlusOneEs.html
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# Optimize a permutation (TSP-style)
When your decision is "an ordering" — visiting cities, scheduling
jobs, routing — the natural representation is `Vec<usize>` and the
specialized algorithm is [`AntColonyTsp`]. Generic alternatives are
[`SimulatedAnnealing`] + [`SwapMutation`] for any permutation, and
[`TabuSearch`] when you have a custom neighbor function.
## TSP with `AntColonyTsp`
```rust,no_run
use heuropt::prelude::*;
struct Tsp {
distances: Vec<Vec<f64>>,
}
impl Problem for Tsp {
type Decision = Vec<usize>;
fn objectives(&self) -> ObjectiveSpace {
ObjectiveSpace::new(vec![Objective::minimize("length")])
}
fn evaluate(&self, tour: &Vec<usize>) -> Evaluation {
let mut len = 0.0;
for w in tour.windows(2) {
len += self.distances[w[0]][w[1]];
}
len += self.distances[*tour.last().unwrap()][tour[0]];
Evaluation::new(vec![len])
}
}
fn main() {
// 5-city Euclidean instance
let cities = vec![
(0.0, 0.0),
(1.0, 5.0),
(5.0, 2.0),
(6.0, 6.0),
(8.0, 3.0),
];
let n = cities.len();
let mut distances = vec![vec![0.0; n]; n];
for i in 0..n {
for j in 0..n {
let dx = cities[i].0 - cities[j].0;
let dy = cities[i].1 - cities[j].1;
distances[i][j] = (dx * dx + dy * dy).sqrt();
}
}
let problem = Tsp { distances: distances.clone() };
let mut opt = AntColonyTsp::new(AntColonyTspConfig {
ants: 20,
iterations: 200,
alpha: 1.0,
beta: 5.0,
evaporation: 0.5,
deposit: 1.0,
distances,
seed: 42,
});
let r = opt.run(&problem);
let best = r.best.unwrap();
println!("best tour length: {:.3}", best.evaluation.objectives[0]);
println!("tour: {:?}", best.decision);
}
```
`alpha` weights pheromone influence and `beta` weights the
heuristic (1 / distance). `evaporation` is the per-iteration decay
of pheromone trails. The classic Dorigo paper uses `alpha = 1`,
`beta = 2..5`, `evaporation = 0.1..0.5`.
## Generic permutation: SA + SwapMutation
Use this when your problem isn't TSP-shaped (no distance matrix
makes sense) but you still want to optimize an ordering.
```rust,no_run
use heuropt::prelude::*;
struct JobShop {
process_times: Vec<f64>,
}
impl Problem for JobShop {
type Decision = Vec<usize>;
fn objectives(&self) -> ObjectiveSpace {
ObjectiveSpace::new(vec![Objective::minimize("makespan")])
}
fn evaluate(&self, schedule: &Vec<usize>) -> Evaluation {
// Pretend cumulative weighted-completion-time. Replace with your real cost.
let cost: f64 = schedule.iter().enumerate()
.map(|(i, &job)| (i as f64 + 1.0) * self.process_times[job])
.sum();
Evaluation::new(vec![cost])
}
}
fn make_initial_perm(n: usize, seed: u64) -> Vec<usize> {
use rand::seq::SliceRandom;
let mut rng = rng_from_seed(seed);
let mut perm: Vec<usize> = (0..n).collect();
perm.shuffle(&mut rng);
perm
}
let times = vec![3.0, 1.5, 4.2, 2.7, 5.1];
let problem = JobShop { process_times: times.clone() };
// SimulatedAnnealing needs a starting decision; pass a custom Initializer.
struct OnePerm(Vec<usize>);
impl Initializer<Vec<usize>> for OnePerm {
fn initialize(&mut self, _size: usize, _rng: &mut Rng) -> Vec<Vec<usize>> {
vec![self.0.clone()]
}
}
let mut opt = SimulatedAnnealing::new(
SimulatedAnnealingConfig {
iterations: 2000,
initial_temperature: 5.0,
final_temperature: 1e-3,
seed: 7,
},
OnePerm(make_initial_perm(times.len(), 7)),
SwapMutation,
);
let r = opt.run(&problem);
let best = r.best.unwrap();
println!("best makespan: {:.3}", best.evaluation.objectives[0]);
println!("schedule: {:?}", best.decision);
```
`SwapMutation` swaps two random indices in the permutation —
preserves the "every element appears once" invariant for free.
## Custom neighborhoods: `TabuSearch`
When swap isn't the right move set (e.g., 2-opt for TSP, insert /
shift for scheduling), use [`TabuSearch`] with your own neighbor
function.
```rust,ignore
use heuropt::prelude::*;
let neighbors = |x: &Vec<usize>, _rng: &mut Rng| -> Vec<Vec<usize>> {
// Generate all 2-opt neighbors of x.
let mut out = Vec::new();
for i in 0..x.len() {
for j in (i + 2)..x.len() {
let mut child = x.clone();
child[i + 1..=j].reverse();
out.push(child);
}
}
out
};
// Pass `neighbors` to TabuSearch::new(...).
```
[`AntColonyTsp`]: https://docs.rs/heuropt/latest/heuropt/algorithms/ant_colony_tsp/struct.AntColonyTsp.html
[`SimulatedAnnealing`]: https://docs.rs/heuropt/latest/heuropt/algorithms/simulated_annealing/struct.SimulatedAnnealing.html
[`SwapMutation`]: https://docs.rs/heuropt/latest/heuropt/operators/struct.SwapMutation.html
[`TabuSearch`]: https://docs.rs/heuropt/latest/heuropt/algorithms/tabu_search/struct.TabuSearch.html
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# Pick one answer off a Pareto front
A multi-objective optimizer hands you a *front* — a Pareto-optimal
trade-off curve — not a single answer. Eventually you have to pick
*one* point off it. There are several principled ways to do that;
this recipe covers the most common: the **a-posteriori weighted
decision rule**.
The pattern: optimize *without* baking your preferences into the
search, then apply your preferences as a scoring function over the
front.
This is exactly the pattern from `examples/jiggly_tuning.rs` (the
USB-jiggler firmware tuning example).
## The shape
```rust,no_run
use heuropt::prelude::*;
# struct Cost;
# impl Problem for Cost {
# type Decision = Vec<f64>;
# fn objectives(&self) -> ObjectiveSpace {
# ObjectiveSpace::new(vec![Objective::minimize("a"), Objective::minimize("b"), Objective::minimize("c")])
# }
# fn evaluate(&self, _x: &Vec<f64>) -> Evaluation { Evaluation::new(vec![0.0,0.0,0.0]) }
# }
let problem = Cost;
let mut opt = Nsga2::new(
Nsga2Config { population_size: 100, generations: 200, seed: 42 },
RealBounds::new(vec![(-1.0, 1.0); 4]),
CompositeVariation {
crossover: SimulatedBinaryCrossover::new(vec![(-1.0, 1.0); 4], 15.0, 0.5),
mutation: PolynomialMutation::new(vec![(-1.0, 1.0); 4], 20.0, 1.0),
},
);
let result = opt.run(&problem);
// 1. Get the Pareto front.
let front = &result.pareto_front;
// 2. Define your preferences as a scoring function over (oriented)
// objective values. Lower score = preferred.
let space = problem.objectives();
let weights = [1.0, 2.0, 0.5];
let scored: Vec<(f64, &Candidate<Vec<f64>>)> = front.iter()
.map(|c| {
let oriented = space.as_minimization(&c.evaluation.objectives);
let score: f64 = oriented.iter().zip(&weights)
.map(|(v, w)| v * w)
.sum();
(score, c)
})
.collect();
// 3. Pick the lowest-scoring point.
let best = scored.iter()
.min_by(|a, b| a.0.partial_cmp(&b.0).unwrap())
.unwrap();
println!("picked: {:?} with weighted score {:.3}",
best.1.evaluation.objectives, best.0);
```
`as_minimization` returns the objective vector with maximized axes
flipped to negative — so a single set of *positive* weights does
the right thing whether each axis is min or max.
## Why a-posteriori vs a-priori weighting
If you know your weights up front, you could just optimize the
weighted sum directly with a single-objective algorithm. Why bother
with the multi-objective dance?
Two reasons:
1. **Weighted sum can't reach concave parts of the Pareto front.**
Any single-objective optimization with a linear scalarization
converges to a point at the boundary of the convex hull. Concave
front segments are unreachable. The multi-objective optimizer
finds them.
2. **Weights are usually wrong on the first try.** Optimizing the
front first lets you see what's actually possible before deciding
how much each axis is worth. Run once, look at the trade-offs,
adjust weights.
## Penalty terms beyond linear weights
The jiggly example also adds a *hinge penalty* — a term that's zero
inside an acceptable region and grows quadratically once you exceed
some hard cap. Useful when one axis is "soft up to X, hard cap at Y":
```rust,no_run
fn hinge(x: f64, soft_cap: f64, hard_cap: f64) -> f64 {
if x <= soft_cap { 0.0 }
else if x >= hard_cap { f64::INFINITY }
else {
let t = (x - soft_cap) / (hard_cap - soft_cap);
100.0 * t * t
}
}
```
Compose linear weights + hinge penalties and you have a flexible
scoring function over the front without re-running the optimizer.
## Other strategies
- **Knee point.** Pick the point where small gains in one axis cost
large losses in another — the "elbow" of the trade-off curve.
[`Knea`] explicitly biases the search toward knees during the run.
- **Reference-direction.** Pick the point closest to a desired
trade-off direction (a unit vector in objective space).
[`Moead`] / [`Nsga3`] use this internally during search; you can
apply it post-hoc the same way.
- **Random / interactive selection.** Show the front to a user
(perhaps via a plotting library), let them pick.
The right pick depends on the problem; the front itself doesn't
prescribe one.
[`Knea`]: https://docs.rs/heuropt/latest/heuropt/algorithms/knea/struct.Knea.html
[`Moead`]: https://docs.rs/heuropt/latest/heuropt/algorithms/moead/struct.Moead.html
[`Nsga3`]: https://docs.rs/heuropt/latest/heuropt/algorithms/nsga3/struct.Nsga3.html
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# Defining a problem
Everything in heuropt starts with the [`Problem`] trait. This chapter
walks through every shape it can take.
## The trait
```rust,ignore
pub trait Problem {
type Decision: Clone;
fn objectives(&self) -> ObjectiveSpace;
fn evaluate(&self, decision: &Self::Decision) -> Evaluation;
}
```
Three things you decide:
1. **`Decision`** — the type of the thing you're optimizing.
`Vec<f64>` is by far the most common; `Vec<bool>` for binary
search, `Vec<usize>` for permutations, your own struct for
anything else.
2. **`objectives`** — how many objectives you have, what they're
called, and whether each is minimized or maximized. Returned as
an [`ObjectiveSpace`].
3. **`evaluate`** — given one decision, score it. Returns an
[`Evaluation`] with a vector of objective values (and optionally
a constraint-violation scalar).
`evaluate` takes `&self`, so caches and lookup tables are easy. It
is called many thousands of times during a typical run, so keep it
fast.
## Single-objective continuous
The Rosenbrock banana — minimize a smooth non-convex valley.
```rust,no_run
use heuropt::prelude::*;
struct Rosenbrock;
impl Problem for Rosenbrock {
type Decision = Vec<f64>;
fn objectives(&self) -> ObjectiveSpace {
ObjectiveSpace::new(vec![Objective::minimize("f")])
}
fn evaluate(&self, x: &Vec<f64>) -> Evaluation {
let f: f64 = x.windows(2)
.map(|w| 100.0 * (w[1] - w[0].powi(2)).powi(2) + (1.0 - w[0]).powi(2))
.sum();
Evaluation::new(vec![f])
}
}
```
## Multi-objective
ZDT1 — two objectives that conflict. The Pareto front is the set of
non-dominated trade-offs.
```rust,no_run
use heuropt::prelude::*;
struct Zdt1 { dim: usize }
impl Problem for Zdt1 {
type Decision = Vec<f64>;
fn objectives(&self) -> ObjectiveSpace {
ObjectiveSpace::new(vec![
Objective::minimize("f1"),
Objective::minimize("f2"),
])
}
fn evaluate(&self, x: &Vec<f64>) -> Evaluation {
let n = x.len() as f64;
let f1 = x[0];
let g = 1.0 + 9.0 * x[1..].iter().sum::<f64>() / (n - 1.0);
let h = 1.0 - (f1 / g).sqrt();
let f2 = g * h;
Evaluation::new(vec![f1, f2])
}
}
```
For multi-objective problems, pick a Pareto-aware optimizer:
[`Nsga2`] is the canonical default; [`Mopso`] often wins on
smooth-front 2-objective problems; [`Ibea`] often wins on
disconnected fronts. See [choosing-an-algorithm](./choosing-an-algorithm.md).
## Maximizing instead of minimizing
heuropt's internals normalize everything to minimization, but you
declare your objective with the orientation that's natural for your
problem. A scoring problem might want to maximize:
```rust,no_run
use heuropt::prelude::*;
let space = ObjectiveSpace::new(vec![
Objective::minimize("cost"),
Objective::maximize("accuracy"),
]);
```
`Objective::maximize` is a convenience for `Direction::Maximize`. Mix
freely; the Pareto-comparison machinery handles the orientation.
## Constraints
heuropt models constraints as a single non-negative scalar
**`constraint_violation`** on each `Evaluation`. The convention:
- `0.0` (or negative) means **feasible**.
- Any positive value means **infeasible**, and bigger numbers are
worse violations.
Pareto-comparison and tournament-selection helpers prefer feasible
candidates and break ties on the violation magnitude — so the rule
"feasibility comes first" is enforced automatically.
```rust,no_run
use heuropt::prelude::*;
struct Constrained;
impl Problem for Constrained {
type Decision = Vec<f64>;
fn objectives(&self) -> ObjectiveSpace {
ObjectiveSpace::new(vec![Objective::minimize("f")])
}
fn evaluate(&self, x: &Vec<f64>) -> Evaluation {
let f: f64 = x.iter().map(|v| v * v).sum();
// Constraint: x[0] + x[1] >= 1. Violation = how much we miss it by.
let g1 = (1.0 - (x[0] + x[1])).max(0.0);
let total_violation: f64 = g1; // sum of max(0, gᵢ) for each constraint
Evaluation::constrained(vec![f], total_violation)
}
}
```
If your constraints are very tight and the search keeps hitting them,
see [Constrain your search with `Repair`](./cookbook/constraints.md).
## Decision types beyond `Vec<f64>`
### Binary (`Vec<bool>`)
```rust,no_run
use heuropt::prelude::*;
struct OneMax { bits: usize }
impl Problem for OneMax {
type Decision = Vec<bool>;
fn objectives(&self) -> ObjectiveSpace {
ObjectiveSpace::new(vec![Objective::maximize("ones")])
}
fn evaluate(&self, x: &Vec<bool>) -> Evaluation {
Evaluation::new(vec![x.iter().filter(|b| **b).count() as f64])
}
}
```
For `Vec<bool>` problems, [`Umda`] is a parameter-free EDA;
[`GeneticAlgorithm`] with [`BitFlipMutation`] is the GA route.
### Permutations (`Vec<usize>`)
```rust,no_run
use heuropt::prelude::*;
struct Tsp { distances: Vec<Vec<f64>> }
impl Problem for Tsp {
type Decision = Vec<usize>;
fn objectives(&self) -> ObjectiveSpace {
ObjectiveSpace::new(vec![Objective::minimize("length")])
}
fn evaluate(&self, tour: &Vec<usize>) -> Evaluation {
let mut len = 0.0;
for w in tour.windows(2) {
len += self.distances[w[0]][w[1]];
}
len += self.distances[*tour.last().unwrap()][tour[0]];
Evaluation::new(vec![len])
}
}
```
For permutations, [`AntColonyTsp`] specializes on TSP-style problems;
[`TabuSearch`] takes a user-supplied neighbor function for arbitrary
discrete neighborhoods; [`SimulatedAnnealing`] with [`SwapMutation`]
is the simplest baseline.
### Custom decision types
Any `Clone` type works. If you have a struct, just implement `Clone`
and you can use it. You'll need to write your own `Variation` impl
to mutate it; see [Write your own algorithm](./cookbook/custom-optimizer.md).
## What `Evaluation` carries
```rust,ignore
pub struct Evaluation {
pub objectives: Vec<f64>, // one entry per objective
pub constraint_violation: f64, // 0.0 = feasible
}
```
That's it. Construct with [`Evaluation::new`] for unconstrained
problems or [`Evaluation::constrained`] when you have a violation.
## Summary
- Implement [`Problem`] with your decision type.
- Declare objectives via [`ObjectiveSpace`] (mix minimize/maximize
freely).
- Return an [`Evaluation`] from `evaluate`.
- For constraints, set `constraint_violation > 0` for infeasible
decisions; heuropt's selection helpers prefer feasibles
automatically.
Next: [Choosing an algorithm](./choosing-an-algorithm.md) walks
through the decision tree.
[`Problem`]: https://docs.rs/heuropt/latest/heuropt/core/problem/trait.Problem.html
[`ObjectiveSpace`]: https://docs.rs/heuropt/latest/heuropt/core/objective/struct.ObjectiveSpace.html
[`Evaluation`]: https://docs.rs/heuropt/latest/heuropt/core/evaluation/struct.Evaluation.html
[`Evaluation::new`]: https://docs.rs/heuropt/latest/heuropt/core/evaluation/struct.Evaluation.html#method.new
[`Evaluation::constrained`]: https://docs.rs/heuropt/latest/heuropt/core/evaluation/struct.Evaluation.html#method.constrained
[`Nsga2`]: https://docs.rs/heuropt/latest/heuropt/algorithms/nsga2/struct.Nsga2.html
[`Mopso`]: https://docs.rs/heuropt/latest/heuropt/algorithms/mopso/struct.Mopso.html
[`Ibea`]: https://docs.rs/heuropt/latest/heuropt/algorithms/ibea/struct.Ibea.html
[`Umda`]: https://docs.rs/heuropt/latest/heuropt/algorithms/umda/struct.Umda.html
[`GeneticAlgorithm`]: https://docs.rs/heuropt/latest/heuropt/algorithms/genetic_algorithm/struct.GeneticAlgorithm.html
[`BitFlipMutation`]: https://docs.rs/heuropt/latest/heuropt/operators/struct.BitFlipMutation.html
[`AntColonyTsp`]: https://docs.rs/heuropt/latest/heuropt/algorithms/ant_colony_tsp/struct.AntColonyTsp.html
[`TabuSearch`]: https://docs.rs/heuropt/latest/heuropt/algorithms/tabu_search/struct.TabuSearch.html
[`SimulatedAnnealing`]: https://docs.rs/heuropt/latest/heuropt/algorithms/simulated_annealing/struct.SimulatedAnnealing.html
[`SwapMutation`]: https://docs.rs/heuropt/latest/heuropt/operators/struct.SwapMutation.html
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# Five-minute walkthrough
The shortest path from a fresh project to a working optimizer.
## 1. Add heuropt to your `Cargo.toml`
```toml
[dependencies]
heuropt = "0.5"
```
The default feature set is small. Optional features:
- `parallel` — rayon-backed parallel population evaluation.
- `serde``Serialize` / `Deserialize` derives on the core data
types.
```toml
heuropt = { version = "0.5", features = ["parallel"] }
```
## 2. Define a problem
A problem is a struct that implements the [`Problem`] trait. You tell
heuropt what kind of decision your problem takes (`Vec<f64>`,
`Vec<bool>`, …), what objectives it has (minimize or maximize), and
how to score one decision.
```rust,no_run
use heuropt::prelude::*;
struct Sphere;
impl Problem for Sphere {
type Decision = Vec<f64>;
fn objectives(&self) -> ObjectiveSpace {
ObjectiveSpace::new(vec![Objective::minimize("f")])
}
fn evaluate(&self, x: &Vec<f64>) -> Evaluation {
let f: f64 = x.iter().map(|v| v * v).sum();
Evaluation::new(vec![f])
}
}
```
The Sphere function is a single-objective continuous problem: minimize
`f(x) = Σ xᵢ²`. The optimum is `x = 0`, `f = 0`.
## 3. Pick an algorithm and run it
For a smooth single-objective continuous problem, [`CmaEs`] is a
strong default. Configure it, build it, run it.
```rust,no_run
# use heuropt::prelude::*;
# struct Sphere;
# impl Problem for Sphere {
# type Decision = Vec<f64>;
# fn objectives(&self) -> ObjectiveSpace {
# ObjectiveSpace::new(vec![Objective::minimize("f")])
# }
# fn evaluate(&self, x: &Vec<f64>) -> Evaluation {
# Evaluation::new(vec![x.iter().map(|v| v * v).sum::<f64>()])
# }
# }
let bounds = RealBounds::new(vec![(-5.0, 5.0); 5]); // 5-dim search box
let mut opt = CmaEs::new(
CmaEsConfig {
population_size: 12,
generations: 80,
initial_sigma: 1.0,
eigen_decomposition_period: 1,
initial_mean: None,
seed: 42,
},
bounds,
);
let result = opt.run(&Sphere);
let best = result.best.expect("at least one feasible candidate");
println!("best f = {:.3e} at x = {:?}", best.evaluation.objectives[0], best.decision);
```
Run with `cargo run --release` — heuristic optimization is allergic
to debug builds. Expect output like:
```text
best f = 1.4e-29 at x = [-1.6e-15, 4.5e-16, ...]
```
CMA-ES drops to machine epsilon on the Sphere in well under 80
generations.
## 4. What just happened
- [`Problem`] is the **what** you're optimizing.
- [`CmaEs`] (or any other optimizer) is the **how**.
- [`CmaEsConfig`] is a plain public-field struct: there are no
builders, no chained setters, just public fields you set
directly.
- [`Optimizer::run`] returns an [`OptimizationResult`] containing the
full final `population`, the `pareto_front` (just the best for
single-objective), the `best` candidate, the total `evaluations`,
and the number of `generations`.
## 5. Where to go next
- **Multi-objective:** see [Defining a problem](./defining-problems.md)
for how to express two or more objectives, and
[Choosing an algorithm](./choosing-an-algorithm.md) for which
optimizer fits.
- **Want to know which algorithm to pick:** read the README's
decision tree, or jump straight to the [choosing-an-algorithm](./choosing-an-algorithm.md)
chapter for the long form.
- **Production patterns:** the [cookbook](./cookbook.md) has recipes
for parallelism, expensive evaluations, comparing algorithms, and
more.
[`Problem`]: https://docs.rs/heuropt/latest/heuropt/core/problem/trait.Problem.html
[`Optimizer::run`]: https://docs.rs/heuropt/latest/heuropt/traits/trait.Optimizer.html
[`OptimizationResult`]: https://docs.rs/heuropt/latest/heuropt/core/result/struct.OptimizationResult.html
[`CmaEs`]: https://docs.rs/heuropt/latest/heuropt/algorithms/cma_es/struct.CmaEs.html
[`CmaEsConfig`]: https://docs.rs/heuropt/latest/heuropt/algorithms/cma_es/struct.CmaEsConfig.html
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# Introduction
heuropt is a practical Rust toolkit for **heuristic optimization** — the
art of searching for good answers when the problem is too gnarly to
solve analytically.
The kinds of problems heuropt is built for:
- **Single-objective:** "find the parameters that minimize the loss of
this model." Hyperparameter tuning. Curve fitting. Calibration.
- **Multi-objective:** "find the trade-off curve between cost and
accuracy." Engineering design. Portfolio optimization. Fleet
scheduling.
- **Many-objective (4+):** the same idea but with enough objectives
that classical Pareto methods break down. Power-grid planning.
Airfoil design. Multi-criteria recommendation.
If your problem is differentiable and convex, you don't need this
crate — use a gradient solver. heuropt is for the *messy* problems:
landscapes with lots of local minima, decisions that aren't continuous
(permutations, bit vectors), or evaluations that are noisy / expensive
/ black-box.
## Why heuropt
There are other Rust optimization crates and many more in Python (pymoo,
hyperopt, optuna, DEAP). heuropt's design priorities:
1. **Approachable code.** No trait objects in the public API. No
GATs, HRTBs, generic-RNG plumbing. A junior Rust engineer should
be able to read `RandomSearch` and write a new optimizer by
implementing only the `Optimizer<P>` trait.
2. **One concrete RNG type.** Seeded determinism is a property tested
across the crate; identical inputs always produce identical
outputs.
3. **Algorithms that work.** Every algorithm is benchmarked against
the canonical test problems (ZDT, DTLZ, Rastrigin, Rosenbrock,
Ackley) and the results are checked into [examples/compare-results.md](https://github.com/swaits/heuropt/blob/main/examples/compare-results.md)
so you can see what each algorithm's strengths actually are.
4. **Testing as a first-class concern.** 316+ unit / integration /
property tests, eight cargo-fuzz targets in CI, gungraun
instruction-count benchmarks. The fuzzers find real bugs and the
property tests check actual invariants.
## What's in the box
heuropt v0.5 ships **35 algorithms** spanning:
- Single-objective continuous: `RandomSearch`, `HillClimber`,
`OnePlusOneEs`, `SimulatedAnnealing`, `GeneticAlgorithm`,
`ParticleSwarm`, `DifferentialEvolution`, `Tlbo`, `CmaEs`,
`IpopCmaEs`, `SeparableNes`, `NelderMead`.
- Single-objective other types: `Umda` (binary), `TabuSearch`
(any), `AntColonyTsp` (permutation).
- Multi-objective (23): `Paes`, `Nsga2`, `Spea2`, `Mopso`, `Ibea`,
`SmsEmoa`, `HypE`, `EpsilonMoea`, `PesaII`, `AgeMoea`, `Knea`,
`Moead`.
- Many-objective (4+): `Nsga3`, `Rvea`, `Grea`.
- Sample-efficient / multi-fidelity: `BayesianOpt`, `Tpe`,
`Hyperband`.
Plus the operators (SBX, PolynomialMutation, BoundedGaussianMutation,
LevyMutation, BitFlipMutation, SwapMutation, ClampToBounds,
ProjectToSimplex), the metrics (hypervolume, spacing), and the Pareto
utilities (dominance, fronts, crowding distance, DasDennis reference
points, the `ParetoArchive`) that you'd expect.
## How to use this guide
If you're new to heuropt, read it linearly:
1. [Five-minute walkthrough](./getting-started.md) — install, define
a problem, run an optimizer, look at the result.
2. [Defining a problem](./defining-problems.md) — the `Problem`
trait in depth: single- vs multi-objective, constraints, custom
decision types.
3. [Choosing an algorithm](./choosing-an-algorithm.md) — the
decision tree, expanded with the reasoning behind each branch.
If you're already up and running, jump into the [cookbook](./cookbook.md)
for recipes, or [comparison](./comparison.md) for how heuropt stacks
up against other libraries.
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# Migration guides
Per-release notes for upgrading between heuropt versions. Skip the
sections that don't apply to your starting version.
## To 0.5
### From 0.4.x
**No public-API changes.** v0.5 is a documentation-and-polish release.
Bumping `heuropt = "0.5"` in your Cargo.toml is enough.
What changed:
- Added a comprehensive mdbook user guide (this book).
- Added runnable rustdoc examples on every public algorithm,
operator, metric, and Pareto utility.
- Added real-world `examples/portfolio.rs`,
`examples/hyperparam_tuning.rs`, and `examples/scheduling.rs`.
- Added `CONTRIBUTING.md`, `SECURITY.md`, `CODE_OF_CONDUCT.md`
(Builder's Code of Conduct), GitHub issue templates, and PR
template.
The full list is in CHANGELOG.md.
### From earlier than 0.4
If you're coming from 0.3.x or earlier, also read the older sections
below.
## To 0.4
### From 0.3.x
**No public-API changes.** v0.4 was a testing-infrastructure
expansion + perf pass. Same `cargo update` story.
The compare-harness wall-clock got 3.27× faster on v0.4 with
bit-identical quality metrics, so any benchmark numbers you have
from v0.3 are still numerically accurate but will run faster.
## To 0.3
### From 0.2.x
**Additive only.** New algorithms (`BayesianOpt`, `Tpe`,
`OnePlusOneEs`, `IpopCmaEs`, `SeparableNes`, `NelderMead`,
`Hyperband`), new operators (`LevyMutation`, `ClampToBounds`,
`ProjectToSimplex`), new traits (`PartialProblem`, `Repair<D>`).
`CmaEsConfig` gained an `initial_mean: Option<Vec<f64>>` field;
existing call sites need a `.. CmaEsConfig { initial_mean: None,
.. }` update.
## To 0.2
### From 0.1.x
**Additive.** New algorithms across the catalog (HillClimber, SA,
GA, PSO, CMA-ES, TabuSearch, AntColonyTsp, Umda, TLBO, MOPSO, IBEA,
SMS-EMOA, HypE, RVEA, PESA-II, ε-MOEA, AGE-MOEA, GrEA, KnEA), new
operators (`SimulatedBinaryCrossover`, `PolynomialMutation`,
`CompositeVariation`, `BoundedGaussianMutation`), and the
`hypervolume_nd` metric.
`Optimizer<P>` impls now require `P: Sync` and `P::Decision: Send`
(this enables the `parallel` feature without changing the public
trait surface). Any normal `Problem` you've written satisfies these
bounds automatically.
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# Stability and SemVer
heuropt is pre-1.0. The public API may change between minor versions.
This page sets explicit expectations.
## What "public API" means in heuropt
The crate's public surface is everything re-exported from
[`heuropt::prelude`] plus the items reachable from `heuropt::core`,
`heuropt::traits`, `heuropt::operators`, `heuropt::algorithms`,
`heuropt::pareto`, `heuropt::metrics`, and `heuropt::selection`.
Items in `heuropt::internal` (e.g. the Cholesky / eigendecomposition
helpers) are **not** public API. They may change between any two
versions — use them at your own risk.
## SemVer in heuropt 0.x
While we are pre-1.0:
- **Minor bumps (`0.5 → 0.6`) may break the public API.** The
CHANGELOG calls out everything that changed, and a **migration
guide** in this book documents the move.
- **Patch bumps (`0.5.0 → 0.5.1`) only contain bug fixes,
performance improvements, and additive non-breaking features.**
No deprecations, no removals.
## What's actually likely to change before 1.0
In rough order of likelihood:
1. **`Optimizer<P>` may grow new optional methods** for callbacks,
stop conditions, and save/resume support. These will land as
methods with default implementations so existing trait impls
keep compiling, but the trait shape will be different.
2. **Algorithm config structs may gain fields.** All current configs
are public-field structs; adding a non-`Default` field is a
breaking change. We may switch to builder patterns to avoid this
class of break, or we may add `#[non_exhaustive]`.
3. **The `Snapshot`, `Observer`, and `Checkpoint` types** (planned
for a future release) will land as new public surfaces.
4. **Some operators may move between `operators` and `pareto`** as
the boundary between "things that produce candidates" and "Pareto
utilities" gets clearer.
What is **not** likely to change:
- The `Problem` trait shape.
- The `Variation` / `Initializer` / `Repair` traits.
- The `Evaluation` / `Candidate` / `Population` / `OptimizationResult`
data types.
- The seeded determinism property.
## What "bit-identical" means for stability
heuropt promises that a given algorithm + seed + config produces the
same numeric output on the same minor version of heuropt.
Across minor versions, output may change if an algorithm's
implementation changes (e.g. a perf rewrite that reorders
floating-point operations, or a new feature that changes the
RNG-consumption pattern). The CHANGELOG calls this out explicitly
when it happens. As of v0.5, the entire history of perf optimizations
has been bit-identical against the v0.3.0 reference.
## MSRV (minimum supported Rust version)
heuropt's MSRV is **1.85** as of v0.5. This is tested in CI against
every PR.
MSRV bumps are treated as patch-bump-eligible (they don't break the
public API). When the MSRV is bumped, the CHANGELOG entry for that
release will note the new MSRV.
## Feature-flag stability
The current optional features:
- `serde` — adds `Serialize` / `Deserialize` derives on the core data
types.
- `parallel` — rayon-backed parallel population evaluation.
Features added in 0.x can be renamed or removed in any minor bump
that documents the change. Removing a feature is treated like a
breaking API change.
## How to track changes
- **CHANGELOG.md** — the canonical record of changes per release.
- **Migration guides** — per-release, in this book at
[migration](./migration.md).
- **GitHub releases** — each tag has release notes.
- **Watch the repo** — https://github.com/swaits/heuropt — to be
notified of new releases.
[`heuropt::prelude`]: https://docs.rs/heuropt/latest/heuropt/prelude/index.html