diff --git a/.github/workflows/build-reusable.yaml b/.github/workflows/build-reusable.yaml
index 4e96f454e3..96b34170ef 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/build-reusable.yaml
+++ b/.github/workflows/build-reusable.yaml
@@ -131,6 +131,33 @@ jobs:
       - name: Build tests
         run: make build-tests-webrtc
 
+  build-benches:
+    needs: [build]
+    timeout-minutes: 60
+    runs-on: ${{ inputs.os }}
+    env:
+      RUSTFLAGS: "-C overflow-checks=off -C debug-assertions=off ${{ inputs.rustflags }}"
+    steps:
+      - name: Git checkout
+        uses: actions/checkout@v5
+
+      - name: Setup build dependencies
+        uses: ./.github/actions/setup-build-deps
+
+      - name: Use shared OCaml setting up steps
+        uses: ./.github/actions/setup-ocaml
+        with:
+          ocaml_version: ${{ inputs.ocaml_version }}
+
+      - name: Setup Rust
+        uses: ./.github/actions/setup-rust
+        with:
+          toolchain: 1.84
+          cache-prefix: build-${{ inputs.os }}-${{ inputs.cache-prefix }}v0
+
+      - name: Build benchmarks
+        run: make build-benches
+
   build-wasm:
     if: ${{ inputs.build-wasm }}
     timeout-minutes: 60
diff --git a/.github/workflows/test-docs-scripts.yaml b/.github/workflows/test-docs-scripts.yaml
index 4a4d419d81..ec3d00c6fd 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/test-docs-scripts.yaml
+++ b/.github/workflows/test-docs-scripts.yaml
@@ -221,6 +221,29 @@ jobs:
           # We'll just check if it was installed via Homebrew
           docker --version || echo "Docker installed but not running (expected on macOS CI)"
 
+  test-benchmark-commands:
+    name: Verify Benchmark Commands
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    if: github.event_name == 'schedule' || github.event_name == 'workflow_dispatch' || contains(github.event.pull_request.labels.*.name, 'test-doc-scripts')
+
+    steps:
+      - name: Checkout repository
+        uses: actions/checkout@v5
+
+      - name: Verify benchmark scripts and commands
+        run: |
+          # Check if scripts exist and are executable
+          test -x ./website/docs/developers/scripts/benchmarks/build-benchmarks.sh
+          test -x ./website/docs/developers/scripts/benchmarks/run-all-benchmarks.sh
+          test -x ./website/docs/developers/scripts/benchmarks/run-database-benchmark.sh
+
+          # Verify the make targets referenced in scripts exist in Makefile
+          grep -q "^build-benches:" Makefile
+          grep -q "^bench:" Makefile
+          grep -q "^bench-database:" Makefile
+
+          echo "SUCCESS: All benchmark commands verified"
+
   test-update-ocaml-node-script:
     name: Test Update OCaml Node Script
     runs-on: ${{ matrix.os }}
diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index c27f68c4ef..5d5de041ef 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -75,6 +75,10 @@ and this project adheres to [Semantic Versioning](https://semver.org/spec/v2.0.0
   ([#1528](https://github.com/o1-labs/mina-rust/pull/1528/))
 - **Codebase**: remove unused `ledger/src/poseidon/fp.rs` file
   ([#1538](https://github.com/o1-labs/mina-rust/pull/1538))
+- **Ledger**: convert unused binary to proper criterion benchmarks. Benchmarks
+  are now built as part of the existing build workflows across all platforms,
+  reusing build caches for efficiency
+  ([#1539](https://github.com/o1-labs/mina-rust/pull/1539))
 
 ## v0.17.0
 
diff --git a/Cargo.lock b/Cargo.lock
index 0021fc47ef..cabc797f32 100644
--- a/Cargo.lock
+++ b/Cargo.lock
@@ -107,7 +107,7 @@ dependencies = [
  "cfg-if",
  "once_cell",
  "version_check",
- "zerocopy",
+ "zerocopy 0.7.32",
 ]
 
 [[package]]
@@ -157,6 +157,12 @@ dependencies = [
  "libc",
 ]
 
+[[package]]
+name = "anes"
+version = "0.1.6"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "4b46cbb362ab8752921c97e041f5e366ee6297bd428a31275b9fcf1e380f7299"
+
 [[package]]
 name = "ansi_term"
 version = "0.12.1"
@@ -1475,6 +1481,12 @@ dependencies = [
  "either",
 ]
 
+[[package]]
+name = "cast"
+version = "0.3.0"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "37b2a672a2cb129a2e41c10b1224bb368f9f37a2b16b612598138befd7b37eb5"
+
 [[package]]
 name = "cbc"
 version = "0.1.2"
@@ -1611,6 +1623,33 @@ dependencies = [
  "windows-targets 0.52.6",
 ]
 
+[[package]]
+name = "ciborium"
+version = "0.2.2"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "42e69ffd6f0917f5c029256a24d0161db17cea3997d185db0d35926308770f0e"
+dependencies = [
+ "ciborium-io",
+ "ciborium-ll",
+ "serde",
+]
+
+[[package]]
+name = "ciborium-io"
+version = "0.2.2"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "05afea1e0a06c9be33d539b876f1ce3692f4afea2cb41f740e7743225ed1c757"
+
+[[package]]
+name = "ciborium-ll"
+version = "0.2.2"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "57663b653d948a338bfb3eeba9bb2fd5fcfaecb9e199e87e1eda4d9e8b240fd9"
+dependencies = [
+ "ciborium-io",
+ "half",
+]
+
 [[package]]
 name = "cipher"
 version = "0.3.0"
@@ -1939,6 +1978,42 @@ dependencies = [
  "crc",
 ]
 
+[[package]]
+name = "criterion"
+version = "0.5.1"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "f2b12d017a929603d80db1831cd3a24082f8137ce19c69e6447f54f5fc8d692f"
+dependencies = [
+ "anes",
+ "cast",
+ "ciborium",
+ "clap 4.5.20",
+ "criterion-plot",
+ "is-terminal",
+ "itertools 0.10.5",
+ "num-traits",
+ "once_cell",
+ "oorandom",
+ "plotters",
+ "rayon",
+ "regex",
+ "serde",
+ "serde_derive",
+ "serde_json",
+ "tinytemplate",
+ "walkdir",
+]
+
+[[package]]
+name = "criterion-plot"
+version = "0.5.0"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "6b50826342786a51a89e2da3a28f1c32b06e387201bc2d19791f622c673706b1"
+dependencies = [
+ "cast",
+ "itertools 0.10.5",
+]
+
 [[package]]
 name = "critical-section"
 version = "1.1.2"
@@ -3506,6 +3581,17 @@ dependencies = [
  "tracing",
 ]
 
+[[package]]
+name = "half"
+version = "2.7.0"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "e54c115d4f30f52c67202f079c5f9d8b49db4691f460fdb0b4c2e838261b2ba5"
+dependencies = [
+ "cfg-if",
+ "crunchy",
+ "zerocopy 0.8.27",
+]
+
 [[package]]
 name = "hash-tool"
 version = "0.17.0"
@@ -3661,6 +3747,12 @@ version = "0.4.0"
 source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
 checksum = "fbf6a919d6cf397374f7dfeeea91d974c7c0a7221d0d0f4f20d859d329e53fcc"
 
+[[package]]
+name = "hermit-abi"
+version = "0.5.2"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "fc0fef456e4baa96da950455cd02c081ca953b141298e41db3fc7e36b1da849c"
+
 [[package]]
 name = "hex"
 version = "0.4.3"
@@ -4254,6 +4346,26 @@ version = "2.9.0"
 source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
 checksum = "8f518f335dce6725a761382244631d86cf0ccb2863413590b31338feb467f9c3"
 
+[[package]]
+name = "is-terminal"
+version = "0.4.16"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "e04d7f318608d35d4b61ddd75cbdaee86b023ebe2bd5a66ee0915f0bf93095a9"
+dependencies = [
+ "hermit-abi 0.5.2",
+ "libc",
+ "windows-sys 0.59.0",
+]
+
+[[package]]
+name = "itertools"
+version = "0.10.5"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "b0fd2260e829bddf4cb6ea802289de2f86d6a7a690192fbe91b3f46e0f2c8473"
+dependencies = [
+ "either",
+]
+
 [[package]]
 name = "itertools"
 version = "0.12.1"
@@ -5551,6 +5663,7 @@ dependencies = [
  "blake2",
  "bs58 0.4.0",
  "crc32fast",
+ "criterion",
  "derive_more",
  "fraction",
  "getrandom",
@@ -6253,6 +6366,12 @@ version = "1.21.3"
 source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
 checksum = "42f5e15c9953c5e4ccceeb2e7382a716482c34515315f7b03532b8b4e8393d2d"
 
+[[package]]
+name = "oorandom"
+version = "11.1.5"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "d6790f58c7ff633d8771f42965289203411a5e5c68388703c06e14f24770b41e"
+
 [[package]]
 name = "opaque-debug"
 version = "0.3.0"
@@ -6792,6 +6911,34 @@ version = "3.1.2"
 source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
 checksum = "4503fa043bf02cee09a9582e9554b4c6403b2ef55e4612e96561d294419429f8"
 
+[[package]]
+name = "plotters"
+version = "0.3.7"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "5aeb6f403d7a4911efb1e33402027fc44f29b5bf6def3effcc22d7bb75f2b747"
+dependencies = [
+ "num-traits",
+ "plotters-backend",
+ "plotters-svg",
+ "wasm-bindgen",
+ "web-sys",
+]
+
+[[package]]
+name = "plotters-backend"
+version = "0.3.7"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "df42e13c12958a16b3f7f4386b9ab1f3e7933914ecea48da7139435263a4172a"
+
+[[package]]
+name = "plotters-svg"
+version = "0.3.7"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "51bae2ac328883f7acdfea3d66a7c35751187f870bc81f94563733a154d7a670"
+dependencies = [
+ "plotters-backend",
+]
+
 [[package]]
 name = "polling"
 version = "2.8.0"
@@ -8077,6 +8224,15 @@ dependencies = [
  "cipher 0.4.4",
 ]
 
+[[package]]
+name = "same-file"
+version = "1.0.6"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "93fc1dc3aaa9bfed95e02e6eadabb4baf7e3078b0bd1b4d7b6b0b68378900502"
+dependencies = [
+ "winapi-util",
+]
+
 [[package]]
 name = "schannel"
 version = "0.1.22"
@@ -9278,6 +9434,16 @@ dependencies = [
  "zerovec",
 ]
 
+[[package]]
+name = "tinytemplate"
+version = "1.2.1"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "be4d6b5f19ff7664e8c98d03e2139cb510db9b0a60b55f8e8709b689d939b6bc"
+dependencies = [
+ "serde",
+ "serde_json",
+]
+
 [[package]]
 name = "tinyvec"
 version = "1.8.1"
@@ -10097,6 +10263,16 @@ version = "1.1.1"
 source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
 checksum = "f3c4517f54858c779bbcbf228f4fca63d121bf85fbecb2dc578cdf4a39395690"
 
+[[package]]
+name = "walkdir"
+version = "2.5.0"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "29790946404f91d9c5d06f9874efddea1dc06c5efe94541a7d6863108e3a5e4b"
+dependencies = [
+ "same-file",
+ "winapi-util",
+]
+
 [[package]]
 name = "want"
 version = "0.3.1"
@@ -10590,6 +10766,15 @@ version = "0.4.0"
 source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
 checksum = "ac3b87c63620426dd9b991e5ce0329eff545bccbbb34f3be09ff6fb6ab51b7b6"
 
+[[package]]
+name = "winapi-util"
+version = "0.1.11"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "c2a7b1c03c876122aa43f3020e6c3c3ee5c05081c9a00739faf7503aeba10d22"
+dependencies = [
+ "windows-sys 0.59.0",
+]
+
 [[package]]
 name = "winapi-x86_64-pc-windows-gnu"
 version = "0.4.0"
@@ -11073,7 +11258,16 @@ version = "0.7.32"
 source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
 checksum = "74d4d3961e53fa4c9a25a8637fc2bfaf2595b3d3ae34875568a5cf64787716be"
 dependencies = [
- "zerocopy-derive",
+ "zerocopy-derive 0.7.32",
+]
+
+[[package]]
+name = "zerocopy"
+version = "0.8.27"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "0894878a5fa3edfd6da3f88c4805f4c8558e2b996227a3d864f47fe11e38282c"
+dependencies = [
+ "zerocopy-derive 0.8.27",
 ]
 
 [[package]]
@@ -11087,6 +11281,17 @@ dependencies = [
  "syn 2.0.96",
 ]
 
+[[package]]
+name = "zerocopy-derive"
+version = "0.8.27"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "88d2b8d9c68ad2b9e4340d7832716a4d21a22a1154777ad56ea55c51a9cf3831"
+dependencies = [
+ "proc-macro2 1.0.95",
+ "quote 1.0.35",
+ "syn 2.0.96",
+]
+
 [[package]]
 name = "zerofrom"
 version = "0.1.5"
diff --git a/Cargo.toml b/Cargo.toml
index 69b4c4703a..848b838aef 100644
--- a/Cargo.toml
+++ b/Cargo.toml
@@ -77,6 +77,7 @@ clap = { version = "4.5", features = ["derive"] }
 console = "0.15.5"
 console_error_panic_hook = "0.1"
 crc32fast = "1"
+criterion = { version = "0.5", features = ["html_reports"] }
 crypto-bigint = { version = "0.5.5", features = [
   "generic-array",
   "serde",
diff --git a/Makefile b/Makefile
index 8311529a02..1753da2892 100644
--- a/Makefile
+++ b/Makefile
@@ -123,6 +123,22 @@ build-wasm: ## Build WebAssembly node
 		--out-dir pkg \
 		target/wasm32-unknown-unknown/release/mina_node_web.wasm
 
+.PHONY: build-benches
+build-benches: ## Build all benchmarks without running them
+	@cargo bench --no-run
+
+.PHONY: build-bench-database
+build-bench-database: ## Build ledger database benchmark
+	@cargo bench --bench database --no-run
+
+.PHONY: bench
+bench: ## Run all benchmarks
+	@cargo bench
+
+.PHONY: bench-database
+bench-database: ## Run ledger database benchmark
+	@cargo bench --bench database
+
 .PHONY: check
 check: ## Check code for compilation errors
 	cargo check --all-targets
diff --git a/ledger/Cargo.toml b/ledger/Cargo.toml
index 868be11b27..97c7f67731 100644
--- a/ledger/Cargo.toml
+++ b/ledger/Cargo.toml
@@ -6,9 +6,9 @@ license = "Apache-2.0"
 
 # See more keys and their definitions at https://doc.rust-lang.org/cargo/reference/manifest.html
 
-[[bin]]
-name = "ledger"
-path = "src/bin/ledger.rs"
+[[bench]]
+name = "database"
+harness = false
 
 [lib]
 crate-type = ["staticlib", "cdylib", "lib"]
@@ -87,6 +87,7 @@ ocaml-interop = { workspace = true, optional = true }
 reqwest = { workspace = true, features = ["blocking"] }
 
 [dev-dependencies]
+criterion = { workspace = true }
 rand_pcg = { workspace = true }
 rand_seeder = { workspace = true }
 tuple-map = { workspace = true }
diff --git a/ledger/benches/database.rs b/ledger/benches/database.rs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..62a9751ce8
--- /dev/null
+++ b/ledger/benches/database.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,79 @@
+//! Database benchmarks
+//!
+//! Run with:
+//! ```sh
+//! cargo bench --bench database
+//! ```
+//!
+//! Or from the workspace root:
+//! ```sh
+//! cd ledger && cargo bench --bench database
+//! ```
+
+use criterion::{black_box, criterion_group, criterion_main, BenchmarkId, Criterion};
+use mina_tree::*;
+
+fn benchmark_account_generation(c: &mut Criterion) {
+    let mut group = c.benchmark_group("account_generation");
+    group.sample_size(10);
+
+    for naccounts in [1_000, 10_000, 120_000] {
+        group.bench_with_input(
+            BenchmarkId::from_parameter(naccounts),
+            &naccounts,
+            |b, &naccounts| {
+                b.iter(|| {
+                    let mut db = Database::<V2>::create(20);
+                    let accounts = (0..naccounts).map(|_| Account::rand()).collect::<Vec<_>>();
+
+                    for (index, mut account) in accounts.into_iter().enumerate() {
+                        account.token_id = TokenId::from(index as u64);
+                        let id = account.id();
+                        db.get_or_create_account(id, account).unwrap();
+                    }
+
+                    black_box(db)
+                });
+            },
+        );
+    }
+
+    group.finish();
+}
+
+fn benchmark_merkle_root_computation(c: &mut Criterion) {
+    let mut group = c.benchmark_group("merkle_root_computation");
+    group.sample_size(10);
+
+    for naccounts in [1_000, 10_000, 120_000] {
+        // Prepare the database with accounts
+        let mut db = Database::<V2>::create(20);
+        let accounts = (0..naccounts).map(|_| Account::rand()).collect::<Vec<_>>();
+
+        for (index, mut account) in accounts.into_iter().enumerate() {
+            account.token_id = TokenId::from(index as u64);
+            let id = account.id();
+            db.get_or_create_account(id, account).unwrap();
+        }
+
+        group.bench_with_input(
+            BenchmarkId::from_parameter(naccounts),
+            &naccounts,
+            |b, _| {
+                b.iter(|| {
+                    let root = db.merkle_root();
+                    black_box(root)
+                });
+            },
+        );
+    }
+
+    group.finish();
+}
+
+criterion_group!(
+    benches,
+    benchmark_account_generation,
+    benchmark_merkle_root_computation
+);
+criterion_main!(benches);
diff --git a/ledger/src/bin/ledger.rs b/ledger/src/bin/ledger.rs
deleted file mode 100644
index 779dfd7517..0000000000
--- a/ledger/src/bin/ledger.rs
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,28 +0,0 @@
-use mina_tree::*;
-
-fn main() {
-    for naccounts in [1_000, 10_000, 120_000] {
-        println!("{:?} accounts wasmer", naccounts);
-
-        let now = redux::Instant::now();
-
-        let mut db = Database::<V2>::create(20);
-
-        let accounts = (0..naccounts).map(|_| Account::rand()).collect::<Vec<_>>();
-
-        for (index, mut account) in accounts.into_iter().enumerate() {
-            account.token_id = TokenId::from(index as u64);
-            let id = account.id();
-            db.get_or_create_account(id, account).unwrap();
-        }
-
-        println!("generate random accounts {:?}", now.elapsed());
-        let now = redux::Instant::now();
-
-        assert_eq!(db.num_accounts(), naccounts as usize);
-
-        db.merkle_root();
-
-        println!("compute merkle root {:?}", now.elapsed());
-    }
-}
diff --git a/website/docs/developers/benchmarks.mdx b/website/docs/developers/benchmarks.mdx
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..70e93a69ea
--- /dev/null
+++ b/website/docs/developers/benchmarks.mdx
@@ -0,0 +1,54 @@
+---
+title: Benchmarks
+sidebar_position: 8
+description: Performance benchmarks for Mina components
+---
+
+import CodeBlock from "@theme/CodeBlock";
+import BuildBenchmarks from "!!raw-loader!./scripts/benchmarks/build-benchmarks.sh";
+import RunAllBenchmarks from "!!raw-loader!./scripts/benchmarks/run-all-benchmarks.sh";
+import RunDatabaseBenchmark from "!!raw-loader!./scripts/benchmarks/run-database-benchmark.sh";
+
+# Benchmarks
+
+Performance benchmarks for Mina components using
+[Criterion](https://github.com/bheisler/criterion.rs).
+
+## Building benchmarks
+
+Build all benchmarks without running them:
+
+<CodeBlock language="bash" title="scripts/benchmarks/build-benchmarks.sh">
+  {BuildBenchmarks}
+</CodeBlock>
+
+## Running benchmarks
+
+Run all benchmarks:
+
+<CodeBlock language="bash" title="scripts/benchmarks/run-all-benchmarks.sh">
+  {RunAllBenchmarks}
+</CodeBlock>
+
+## Ledger
+
+### Database benchmarks
+
+Benchmarks for ledger database operations including account generation and
+merkle root computation. Tests performance with 1,000, 10,000, and 120,000
+accounts.
+
+Run the database benchmark:
+
+<CodeBlock language="bash" title="scripts/benchmarks/run-database-benchmark.sh">
+  {RunDatabaseBenchmark}
+</CodeBlock>
+
+Benchmark groups:
+
+- **account_generation**: Measures time to generate random accounts and insert
+  them into the database
+- **merkle_root_computation**: Measures time to compute the merkle root for a
+  populated database
+
+Results are saved to `target/criterion/` with detailed HTML reports.
diff --git a/website/docs/developers/scripts/benchmarks/build-benchmarks.sh b/website/docs/developers/scripts/benchmarks/build-benchmarks.sh
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..3b8d5d7099
--- /dev/null
+++ b/website/docs/developers/scripts/benchmarks/build-benchmarks.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,4 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env bash
+# Build all benchmarks
+
+make build-benches
diff --git a/website/docs/developers/scripts/benchmarks/run-all-benchmarks.sh b/website/docs/developers/scripts/benchmarks/run-all-benchmarks.sh
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..9c23e04b46
--- /dev/null
+++ b/website/docs/developers/scripts/benchmarks/run-all-benchmarks.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,4 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env bash
+# Run all benchmarks
+
+make bench
diff --git a/website/docs/developers/scripts/benchmarks/run-database-benchmark.sh b/website/docs/developers/scripts/benchmarks/run-database-benchmark.sh
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..c56a321890
--- /dev/null
+++ b/website/docs/developers/scripts/benchmarks/run-database-benchmark.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,4 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env bash
+# Run ledger database benchmark
+
+make bench-database
diff --git a/website/sidebars.ts b/website/sidebars.ts
index 2b2411cd4a..db04a8c567 100644
--- a/website/sidebars.ts
+++ b/website/sidebars.ts
@@ -133,6 +133,13 @@ const sidebars: SidebarsConfig = {
         'developers/testing/ocaml-node-tests',
       ],
     },
+    {
+      type: 'category',
+      label: 'Performance',
+      items: [
+        'developers/benchmarks',
+      ],
+    },
     {
       type: 'category',
       label: 'Documentation',