C++ provides low-level memory control via new/delete and smart pointers to manage resources safely. Here's a breakdown:

🔑 Key Concepts

  • Dynamic Memory Allocation: Use new to allocate memory at runtime, delete to free it.
    Memory_Allocation
  • RAII (Resource Acquisition Is Initialization): Bind resource management to object lifetimes.
    RAII
  • Memory Leaks: Unfreed memory after delete is called. Avoid using raw pointers unless necessary.

🛠️ Smart Pointers

Pointer Type Description Example
unique_ptr Owns memory exclusively std::unique_ptr<int> ptr(new int(10));
shared_ptr Shares ownership with multiple pointers std::shared_ptr<int> ptr = std::make_shared<int>(20);
weak_ptr Breaks cyclic references std::weak_ptr<int> weak = ptr;

⚠️ Best Practices

  1. Prefer smart pointers over raw pointers
  2. Use delete with caution to avoid dangling pointers
  3. Always pair new with delete in matching scopes
  4. Leverage std::vector or std::array for automatic memory management

For deeper insights into smart pointers, check our C++ Smart Pointers Tutorial. 🚀