Malloc

Definitions

1. The C standard library function (`memory allocate`) that requests a block of uninitialized heap memory of a specified size in bytes, returning a void pointer to the allocated region. The caller is responsible for eventually calling `free()` to avoid memory leaks.

   In plain English: A C function that asks the operating system for a chunk of memory, which you must remember to give back when you're done with it.

   Example: "We malloc'd a 64KB buffer for the read, but forgot to free it in the error path — Valgrind caught the leak."

Related Terms

• Allocator
• ARC
• Memory Zeroing
• Object Pool
• Paging
• Stack Allocation
• Variadic Function
• Virtual Memory