Core · Module 4 · Lesson 9 of 9
Project: Memory-Safe Collections with Slab and Arena Allocators
Engineer a high-performance C dynamic collections library backed by custom bump arenas, fixed-size slab allocators, and bounds-checked containers.
By the end you can
- Construct an aligned bump arena allocator with instant O(1) bulk lifecycle resets
- Build an intrusive free-list slab allocator to eliminate external heap fragmentation
- Implement an abstract Allocator vtable interface decoupling containers from libc malloc
- Create memory-safe dynamic vectors and hash tables with strict bounds and growth semantics
Builds on Opaque Pointers and API Encapsulation.
01 · A question first
Why do high-performance game engines, database query planners, and network proxies avoid calling malloc() and free() in hot inner loops? Custom slab and arena allocators eliminate fragmentation and deliver sub-nanosecond allocations without heap metadata bloat.
Make a guess before you read on.
02 · The idea
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What's inside
- Start with the problem
- How the idea works
- Complete Implementation: collections_engine.c
- Why it is correct
- What it costs
- Pitfalls and variations
- Where it is used
03 · Practice
Asked in interviews
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