Hot Path Principles

Non-negotiable rules for maximum performance:

1. Zero allocation in processing loop

2. No exceptions – use counters for errors

3. No callbacks/lambdas in hot path – direct method calls

4. No locks – single-threaded per tree

5. Array indexing for routing (not Maps)

6. Bitmask pruning for optional features

Memory access uses VarHandle for near-native speed.

Header objects are reused and rebound – never new inside loop.