memory-allocator
Skill17 starsChanged 9 months agoApache-2.0View on GitHub
Implement memory allocators for efficient dynamic memory management in language runtimes.
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The file
We split this skill into the rules it gives an agent
5 rules. About 0 are common, 5 are distinctive, and 0 are very specific to this project.
≈0
Common · estimate
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≈5
Distinctive · estimate
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0
Very specific
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- Common
- Distinctive
- Very specific
- Distinctive: line 43
Use slab allocators for fixed-size objects
- Distinctive: line 44
Use arena allocators for temporary allocations
- Distinctive: line 47
Use generation counters for safe references
- Distinctive: line 83
When OS allocator suffices
- Distinctive: line 85
When memory is not a concern
≈ “Common” is an estimate: at least 1 in 5 of the 350,495 skill files we read have a rule of the same kind, not the same words. “Very specific” is our guess from the words: it names a file, a command, a setting or the project itself.
Files
Memory Allocator
Memory allocators manage dynamic memory allocation and deallocation, a critical component of language runtimes. Different allocation strategies optimize for different workloads.
When to Use This Skill
- Implementing language runtimes
- Building custom allocators
- Optimizing memory performance
- Embedded systems development
- Understanding memory management
What This Skill Does
- Block Allocation: Allocate fixed-size blocks efficiently
- Heap Management: Organize free memory
- Allocation Strategies: First-fit, best-fit, segregated fit
- Fragmentation Control: Minimize internal/external fragmentation
- Deallocation: Free memory and coalesce blocks
Key Concepts
| Concept | Description |
| Block | Contiguous memory region |
| Fragmentation | Wasted space (internal or external) |
| Free List | Linked list of free blocks |
| Coalescing | Merge adjacent free blocks |
| Slab | Pre-allocated block for fixed-size objects |
Tips
- Use slab allocators for fixed-size objects
- Use arena allocators for temporary allocations
- Consider alignment requirements
- Profile before optimizing allocation
- Use generation counters for safe references
Common Use Cases
- Language runtime allocators
- Game engines (arena allocators)
- Database buffer pools
- Embedded systems
- High-performance systems
Related Skills
garbage-collector-implementer- Automatic memory managementescape-analysis- Optimize allocationjit-compiler-builder- JIT allocation
Canonical References
| Reference | Why It Matters |
| Wilson et al., "Dynamic Storage Allocation" (1994) | Survey of algorithms |
| Bonwick, "The Linux Slab Allocator" (USENIX 1994) | Linux slab allocator |
| Berger, McKinley, Blumofe & Wilson, "Hoard: A Scalable Memory Allocator for Multithreaded Applications" (ASPLOS 2000) | Scalable multicore allocator |
Tradeoffs and Limitations
Approach Tradeoffs
| Approach | Pros | Cons |
| Bump pointer | Very fast | Cannot free individually |
| Free list | Can free | Fragmentation |
| Slab | No fragmentation | Fixed size only |
When NOT to Use This Skill
- When OS allocator suffices
- For small programs
- When memory is not a concern
Limitations
- Thread safety requires synchronization
- Fragmentation is hard to eliminate
- Cannot allocate more than capacity
Assessment Criteria
A high-quality implementation should have:
| Criterion | What to Look For |
| Correctness | No corruption, double-free safe |
| Efficiency | Low allocation overhead |
| Fragmentation | Reasonable memory usage |
| Safety | Bounds checking |
Quality Indicators
✅ Good: Correct, efficient, handles edge cases ⚠️ Warning: Fragmentation issues ❌ Bad: Memory corruption, crashes
Research Tools & Artifacts
Real-world memory allocators:
| Tool | Why It Matters |
| jemalloc | Facebook allocator |
| tcmalloc | Google allocator |
| Hoard | Scalable allocator |
| snmalloc | Microsoft's allocator |
| RPMalloc | Fast allocator |
Key Systems
- jemalloc: Production allocator
- tcmalloc: glibc allocator
Research Frontiers
Current allocator research:
| Direction | Key Papers | Challenge |
| Scalable | "Scalable Allocators" | Multi-core |
| NUMA | "NUMA-aware" | Memory hierarchy |
| Large | "Large allocators" | Big data |
Hot Topics
- Allocator for Wasm: WebAssembly allocation
- Allocator for Rust: Custom allocators
Implementation Pitfalls
Common allocator bugs:
| Pitfall | Real Example | Prevention |
| Fragmentation | Memory fragmentation | Slab alloc |
| Thread contention | Lock contention | Per-thread pools |
| Memory | Memory corruption | Bounds checking |
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