I have found a possible performance issue with the Network Extension related to NEFilterPacketProvider.
When a packet filter is disabled, my Mac gets the expected Internet upload speed. When an NEFilterPacketProvider is enabled, outbound/upload throughput drops substantially.
The interesting part is that this is reproducible with a deliberately minimal test provider.
The test provider only:
receives packets;
parses headers of several common protocols;
writes diagnostic information using Unified Logging;
allows all captured packets.
It does not intentionally delay, modify, or drop packets, and it does not perform any other heavy processing or network activity.
Reproduction
Run a speed test at https://yandex.ru/internet/ with the packet filter disabled;
Record the outbound/upload speed;
Enable the NEFilterPacketProvider;
Run the same test again;
The outbound speed drops significantly;
Disable the provider and repeat the test — the speed returns to the previous level;
The effect is particularly noticeable on the outbound/upload direction; download performance is much less affected.
For example:
Configuration Download Upload
Packet filter disabled ~700 Mbps ~600 Mbps
Packet filter enabled ~700 Mbps ~110 Mbps
I've submitted a Feedback Assistant report with a minimal reproducible sample - FB24686601.
The sample is attached to the feedback.
Has anyone else observed a similar outbound throughput reduction when NEFilterPacketProvider is enabled?
I'm particularly interested in whether this is expected overhead of the packet-filtering architecture, a known limitation, or a possible macOS/Network Extension regression.
Topic:
Safari & Web
SubTopic:
General
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