LabelNamer.Build() causes memory fragmentation with frequent label transformations

[leiwingqueen]

Description

LabelNamer.Build() allocates a new string on every call, even when the label name is already compliant. This causes significant memory fragmentation, especially in high-frequency label transformation
scenarios (e.g., OpenTelemetry Collector Contrib's Prometheus remote write exporter).

Steps to Reproduce

1. Use OpenTelemetry Collector to collect a large number of metrics
2. Observe significant memory fragmentation in the process

Analysis

Current Build() implementation:

normalizedName := sanitizeLabelName(label, ln.PreserveMultipleUnderscores)

sanitizeLabelName uses strings.Builder internally to create a new string on every call:

• Allocates new memory
• Copies the entire label string
• Returns a new string

Expected Behavior

For already-compliant labels (e.g., http_method), should:

1. Return the original string directly without allocation
2. Or reuse cached transformation results

Reference Implementation

VictoriaMetrics' FastStringTransformer uses sync.Map to cache transformation results, avoiding repeated allocations.

Environment

• OpenTelemetry Collector Contrib
• Prometheus remote write exporter
• High-cardinality metrics scenario

Related Components

• LabelNamer.Build()
• sanitizeLabelName()