
Memory Allocation Strategies with Zig
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About this listen
- Explicit and transparent memory management
- Runtime error detection vs compile-time checks
- No hidden allocations
- Must handle allocation errors explicitly using try/defer/ensure
- Runtime leak detection capability
- Safer than C due to explicit memory handling
- No "foot guns" or easy-to-create security holes
- No forgotten free() calls
- Clear memory ownership model
- Rust: Compile-time ownership and borrowing rules
- Single owner for memory
- Automatic memory freeing
- Built-in safety with performance trade-off
- Zig: Runtime-focused approach
- Explicit allocators passed around
- Memory management via defer
- No compile-time ownership restrictions
- Runtime leak/error checking
General Purpose Allocator (GPA)
- Tracks all allocations
- Detects leaks and double-frees
- Like a "librarian tracking books"
- Most commonly used for general programming
Arena Allocator
- Frees all memory at once
- Very fast allocations
- Best for temporary data (e.g., JSON parsing)
- Like "dumping LEGO blocks"
Fixed Buffer Allocator
- Stack memory only, no heap
- Fixed size allocation
- Ideal for embedded systems
- Like a "fixed size box"
Page Allocator
- Direct OS memory access
- Page-aligned blocks
- Best for large applications
- Like "buying land and subdividing"
- Zig "Hello World": ~300KB
- Rust "Hello World": ~1.8MB
- Zig minimal server (Alpine Docker): ~300KB
- Rust minimal server (Scratch Docker): ~2MB
- Zig server with JSON/SQLite: ~850KB
- Rust server with JSON/SQLite: ~4.2MB
- Zig: Near-instant startup, ~3KB runtime
- Rust: Runtime initialization required, ~100KB runtime size
- Zig offers optional runtime overhead
- Rust includes mandatory memory safety runtime
The episode concludes by suggesting Zig as a complementary tool alongside Rust, particularly for specialized use cases requiring minimal binary size or runtime overhead, such as embedded systems development.
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