core/state, trie: avoid unnecessary storage trie load+commit

core/state/state_object.go

@@ -272,10 +272,15 @@ func (s *stateObject) finalise() {
 }
 
 // updateTrie writes cached storage modifications into the object's storage trie.
+// It will return nil if the trie has not been loaded and no changes have been made
+// Note: It may return non-nil if the trie is already loaded due to previous changes
+// in the same block
 func (s *stateObject) updateTrie(db Database) Trie {
 	// Make sure all dirty slots are finalized into the pending storage area
 	s.finalise()
-
+	if len(s.pendingStorage) == 0{
+		return s.trie
+	}
 	// Track the amount of time wasted on updating the storge trie
 	if metrics.EnabledExpensive {
 		defer func(start time.Time) { s.db.StorageUpdates += time.Since(start) }(time.Now())
@@ -305,8 +310,10 @@ func (s *stateObject) updateTrie(db Database) Trie {
 
 // UpdateRoot sets the trie root to the current root hash of
 func (s *stateObject) updateRoot(db Database) {
-	s.updateTrie(db)
-
+	if s.updateTrie(db) == nil{
+		// No changes, storage trie is not even loaded
+		return
+	}
 	// Track the amount of time wasted on hashing the storge trie
 	if metrics.EnabledExpensive {
 		defer func(start time.Time) { s.db.StorageHashes += time.Since(start) }(time.Now())
@@ -317,7 +324,10 @@ func (s *stateObject) updateRoot(db Database) {
 // CommitTrie the storage trie of the object to db.
 // This updates the trie root.
 func (s *stateObject) CommitTrie(db Database) error {
-	s.updateTrie(db)
+	if s.updateTrie(db) == nil{
+		// No changes, storage trie is not even loaded
+		return nil
+	}
 	if s.dbErr != nil {
 		return s.dbErr
 	}

core/state/statedb.go

@@ -330,7 +330,8 @@ func (s *StateDB) StorageTrie(addr common.Address) Trie {
 		return nil
 	}
 	cpy := stateObject.deepCopy(s)
-	return cpy.updateTrie(s.db)
+	cpy.updateTrie(s.db)
+	return cpy.getTrie(s.db)
 }
 
 func (s *StateDB) HasSuicided(addr common.Address) bool {

trie/pure_committer.go

@@ -67,6 +67,12 @@ func returnCommitterToPool(h *committer) {
 	committerPool.Put(h)
 }
 
+// commitNeeded returns 'false' if the given node is already in sync with db
+func (h *committer) commitNeeded(n node) bool {
+	hash, dirty := n.cache()
+	return hash == nil || dirty
+}
+
 // hash collapses a node down into a hash node, also returning a copy of the
 // original node initialized with the computed hash to replace the original one.
 func (h *committer) commit(n node, db *Database, force bool) (node, error) {

trie/trie.go

@@ -441,6 +441,12 @@ func (t *Trie) Commit(onleaf LeafCallback) (root common.Hash, err error) {
 	rootHash := t.Hash()
 	h := newCommitter(onleaf)
 	defer returnCommitterToPool(h)
+	// Do a quick check if we really need to commit, before we spin
+	// up goroutines. This can happen e.g. if we load a trie for reading storage
+	// values, but don't write to it.
+	if !h.commitNeeded(t.root) {
+		return rootHash, nil
+	}
 	var wg sync.WaitGroup
 	if onleaf != nil {
 		wg.Add(1)