diff --git a/Cargo.toml b/Cargo.toml
index e204510..da23643 100644
--- a/Cargo.toml
+++ b/Cargo.toml
@@ -92,6 +92,10 @@ harness = false
 name = "network_benchmarks"
 harness = false
 
+[[bench]]
+name = "ws_hot_path"
+harness = false
+
 [profile.release]
 # Optimizations for HFT performance
 opt-level = 3
diff --git a/benches/ws_hot_path.rs b/benches/ws_hot_path.rs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..46d4fa6
--- /dev/null
+++ b/benches/ws_hot_path.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,180 @@
+//! Benchmarks for the WebSocket `book` hot path.
+//!
+//! These are intended to approximate a warmed, steady-state processing loop:
+//! after init/warmup, per-message processing should avoid heap allocations.
+//! The allocation checks live in `tests/no_alloc_hot_paths.rs`; these benches
+//! focus on throughput/latency of the processing path.
+
+use criterion::{black_box, criterion_group, criterion_main, BatchSize, Criterion, Throughput};
+use polyfill_rs::types::BookUpdate;
+use polyfill_rs::{OrderBookManager, OrderSummary, WsBookUpdateProcessor};
+use rust_decimal::Decimal;
+use std::sync::atomic::{AtomicU64, Ordering};
+
+const START_TIMESTAMP: u64 = 1_000_000_000_000_000;
+const BOOK_ASSET_ID: &str = "test_asset_id";
+const BOOK_MARKET: &str = "0xabc";
+
+struct TimestampRange {
+    start: usize,
+    end: usize,
+}
+
+impl TimestampRange {
+    fn find(bytes: &[u8]) -> Self {
+        let needle = b"\"timestamp\":";
+        let Some(pos) = bytes.windows(needle.len()).position(|w| w == needle) else {
+            panic!("timestamp field not found in WS template JSON");
+        };
+
+        let start = pos + needle.len();
+        let mut end = start;
+        while end < bytes.len() && bytes[end].is_ascii_digit() {
+            end += 1;
+        }
+
+        if start == end {
+            panic!("timestamp digits not found in WS template JSON");
+        }
+
+        Self { start, end }
+    }
+
+    fn write_fixed_width(&self, bytes: &mut [u8], mut value: u64) {
+        let width = self.end - self.start;
+
+        // Write digits right-to-left into the existing digit window.
+        for idx in (0..width).rev() {
+            let digit = (value % 10) as u8;
+            bytes[self.start + idx] = b'0' + digit;
+            value /= 10;
+        }
+    }
+}
+
+fn price_string_from_ticks(ticks: u32) -> String {
+    let whole = ticks / 10_000;
+    let frac = ticks % 10_000;
+    format!("{whole}.{frac:04}")
+}
+
+fn build_book_update(levels_per_side: usize) -> BookUpdate {
+    let mut bids = Vec::with_capacity(levels_per_side);
+    let mut asks = Vec::with_capacity(levels_per_side);
+
+    let size = Decimal::new(1_000_000, 4); // 100.0000
+
+    for i in 0..levels_per_side {
+        let bid_ticks = 7_500u32 - i as u32;
+        let ask_ticks = 7_501u32 + i as u32;
+        bids.push(OrderSummary {
+            price: Decimal::new(bid_ticks as i64, 4),
+            size,
+        });
+        asks.push(OrderSummary {
+            price: Decimal::new(ask_ticks as i64, 4),
+            size,
+        });
+    }
+
+    BookUpdate {
+        asset_id: BOOK_ASSET_ID.to_string(),
+        market: BOOK_MARKET.to_string(),
+        timestamp: 1,
+        bids,
+        asks,
+        hash: None,
+    }
+}
+
+fn build_ws_book_template(levels_per_side: usize) -> Vec<u8> {
+    let mut json = String::new();
+
+    json.push_str("{\"event_type\":\"book\",\"asset_id\":\"");
+    json.push_str(BOOK_ASSET_ID);
+    json.push_str("\",\"timestamp\":");
+    json.push_str(&START_TIMESTAMP.to_string());
+    json.push_str(",\"bids\":[");
+
+    let size = "100.0000";
+    for i in 0..levels_per_side {
+        if i != 0 {
+            json.push(',');
+        }
+        let bid_ticks = 7_500u32 - i as u32;
+        let bid_price = price_string_from_ticks(bid_ticks);
+        json.push_str("{\"price\":\"");
+        json.push_str(&bid_price);
+        json.push_str("\",\"size\":\"");
+        json.push_str(size);
+        json.push_str("\"}");
+    }
+
+    json.push_str("],\"asks\":[");
+    for i in 0..levels_per_side {
+        if i != 0 {
+            json.push(',');
+        }
+        let ask_ticks = 7_501u32 + i as u32;
+        let ask_price = price_string_from_ticks(ask_ticks);
+        json.push_str("{\"price\":\"");
+        json.push_str(&ask_price);
+        json.push_str("\",\"size\":\"");
+        json.push_str(size);
+        json.push_str("\"}");
+    }
+    json.push_str("]}");
+
+    json.into_bytes()
+}
+
+fn bench_ws_book_process_bytes(c: &mut Criterion) {
+    let mut group = c.benchmark_group("ws_book_hot_path");
+
+    for levels_per_side in [1usize, 16, 64] {
+        let books = OrderBookManager::new(levels_per_side * 2);
+        let _ = books.get_or_create_book(BOOK_ASSET_ID).unwrap();
+
+        // Warm up: ensure all levels exist so the steady-state path doesn't allocate.
+        let warmup_update = build_book_update(levels_per_side);
+        books.apply_book_update(&warmup_update).unwrap();
+
+        let template = build_ws_book_template(levels_per_side);
+        let ts_range = TimestampRange::find(&template);
+
+        let mut processor = WsBookUpdateProcessor::new(template.len());
+        let mut warmup_msg = template.clone();
+        processor
+            .process_bytes(warmup_msg.as_mut_slice(), &books)
+            .unwrap();
+
+        let counter = AtomicU64::new(START_TIMESTAMP);
+
+        group.throughput(Throughput::Bytes(template.len() as u64));
+        group.bench_function(
+            format!("process_bytes_levels_per_side_{levels_per_side}"),
+            move |b| {
+                b.iter_batched(
+                    || {
+                        let mut msg = template.clone();
+                        let ts = counter.fetch_add(1, Ordering::Relaxed) + 1;
+                        ts_range.write_fixed_width(msg.as_mut_slice(), ts);
+                        msg
+                    },
+                    |mut msg| {
+                        let stats = processor
+                            .process_bytes(black_box(msg.as_mut_slice()), black_box(&books))
+                            .unwrap();
+                        black_box(stats);
+                    },
+                    BatchSize::SmallInput,
+                );
+            },
+        );
+    }
+
+    group.finish();
+}
+
+criterion_group!(benches, bench_ws_book_process_bytes);
+criterion_main!(benches);