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C++ Flashcards: Memory Management

C++ — Memory Management Flashcards

20 interactive flashcards. Press Space to flip, rate 1-4 to schedule next review.

Intuition

RAII (Resource Acquisition Is Initialization) ties resource lifetime to object lifetime, when an object is constructed it acquires a resource (memory, file handle, mutex lock), and when it goes out of scope its destructor releases it automatically. Smart pointers (std::unique_ptr, std::shared_ptr) extend this to heap memory: unique_ptr is exclusive ownership (like a single key to a safe), while shared_ptr is shared ownership with reference counting (like a library book with multiple borrowers).

Common Pitfalls

  • Raw new/delete: Using new and delete manually instead of smart pointers, this is the most common source of memory leaks and double-free bugs in C++.
  • Circular references with shared_ptr: Two objects holding shared_ptr to each other create a reference count cycle that never reaches zero, use std::weak_ptr to break the cycle.
  • Dangling pointers: Holding a raw pointer or reference to an object that has been destroyed, prefer smart pointers and avoid raw pointer ownership.

Cross-References

  • Object-Oriented Programming: OOP patterns that rely on proper resource management.
  • Error Handling: Exception safety and error handling with RAII.
  • Types: Type system concepts including smart pointer types and ownership semantics.