Optimize performance using Link-Time Optimization with GCC
Introduction
An LTO Primer
Deploying LTO
Potential Gains
Next Steps

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Optimize performance using Link-Time Optimization with GCC

About this Learning Path

Skill level:  Introductory
Reading time:  15 min
Last updated:  17 Feb 2026
Skill level:
  Introductory
Reading time:
  15 min
Last updated:
  17 Feb 2026
Author:Victor Do Nascimento
Arm IP:Neoverse Cortex-A
Tags: Performance and Architecture Linux GCC
Author:
  • Victor Do Nascimento
Arm IP:
Neoverse Cortex-A
Tags:
Performance and Architecture Linux GCC

Who is this for?

This is an introductory topic for developers who want to improve application performance using link-time optimization (LTO) with the GCC toolchain.

What will you learn?

Upon completion of this Learning Path, you will be able to:

  • Understand how link-time optimization (LTO) works and when to apply it
  • Enable and configure LTO with GCC compiler flags
  • Evaluate the performance and code size trade-offs of LTO

Prerequisites

Before starting, you will need the following:

  • An Arm Linux system (cloud instance, on-premises hardware, or a virtual machine)
  • A recent version of the GCC toolchain
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