A collection of custom memory allocators in C++ designed to outperform standard malloc for specific allocation patterns.
Memory Allocators is a C++ library that provides custom implementations of dynamic memory allocators to improve performance over the standard malloc. It includes specialized allocators like Linear, Stack, Pool, and Free List, each optimized for different data usage patterns and constraints. The project helps developers reduce allocation overhead and fragmentation in performance-critical applications.
C++ developers working on performance-sensitive systems such as game engines, real-time applications, or embedded systems where dynamic memory allocation overhead is a bottleneck. It's also valuable for systems programmers and students learning about memory management internals.
Developers choose this library because it offers production-ready, specialized allocators that can significantly outperform malloc for specific use cases, with clear benchmarks and educational documentation. It provides a practical toolkit for optimizing memory allocation without relying on platform-specific or proprietary solutions.
Custom memory allocators in C++ to improve the performance of dynamic memory allocation
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The README includes time complexity charts showing linear, stack, and pool allocators achieve O(1) operations (excluding init), and the free list allocator performs up to 3x better than malloc in specific tests.
Uses diagrams to explain data structures, such as in-memory linked lists for pool allocators and headers for stack allocators, making complex memory management concepts accessible for learning.
Implements four distinct allocators—linear, stack, pool, and free list—each optimized for specific patterns like bulk freeing or uniform-sized objects, as detailed in the Custom Allocators section.
Allocators like stack and pool minimize fragmentation through LIFO deallocation and pre-split chunks, with spatial locality principles explained in their data structure descriptions.
The free list allocator has constraints on minimum size and alignment, and the red-black tree version is listed as future work, reducing its effectiveness as a general-purpose replacement in production.
Requires explicit initialization and deep understanding of each allocator's constraints (e.g., bulk freeing for linear allocator), adding complexity compared to using malloc directly, as noted in build instructions and usage summaries.
Lacks built-in memory debugging, alignment handling is deferred to future work, and there's no discussion of integration with standard C++ allocator interfaces, limiting drop-in usability for complex systems.