Chapter 12. Why Allocation Is Explicit

A program uses memory to store values.

8 items

Section	Title
1	Why Allocation Is Explicit
2	The Allocator Interface
3	Page Allocator
4	General-Purpose Allocator
5	Arena Allocator
6	Fixed-Buffer Allocator
7	Ownership Rules
8	Exercises

Writes › Book › Learn › Learn Zig › Chapter 12. Why Allocation Is Explicit ›

Why Allocation Is Explicit

A program uses memory to store values.

Writes › Book › Learn › Learn Zig › Chapter 12. Why Allocation Is Explicit ›

The Allocator Interface

An allocator is a value that knows how to allocate and free memory.

Writes › Book › Learn › Learn Zig › Chapter 12. Why Allocation Is Explicit ›

Page Allocator

The page allocator gets memory from the operating system.

Writes › Book › Learn › Learn Zig › Chapter 12. Why Allocation Is Explicit ›

General-Purpose Allocator

The general-purpose allocator is used for ordinary heap allocation.

Writes › Book › Learn › Learn Zig › Chapter 12. Why Allocation Is Explicit ›

Arena Allocator

An arena allocator is used when many allocations have the same lifetime.

Writes › Book › Learn › Learn Zig › Chapter 12. Why Allocation Is Explicit ›

Fixed-Buffer Allocator

A fixed-buffer allocator uses memory that already exists.

Writes › Book › Learn › Learn Zig › Chapter 12. Why Allocation Is Explicit ›

Ownership Rules

Allocation creates a responsibility.

Writes › Book › Learn › Learn Zig › Chapter 12. Why Allocation Is Explicit ›

Exercises

The exercises in this section are meant to make allocation habits precise. Each one should be written as a complete program unless stated otherwise.