Managing dynamic memory in C can be tricky, especially in larger projects where memory leaks can creep in undetected. To address this, I've developed DSAllocator, a flexible and easy-to-use memory management library for C that simplifies dynamic memory allocation and ensures proper cleanup.

What is DSAllocator?

DSAllocator is a lightweight C library that helps you manage dynamically allocated memory. It tracks pointers to allocated memory, automatically resizes its internal storage, and provides functions to safely allocate, track, and free memory. Whether you're dealing with strings, custom data structures, or any dynamically allocated data, DSAllocator can handle it.

With DSAllocator, you can choose between two allocation strategies:

• Double Allocation: The internal storage capacity doubles each time it needs to grow, making it ideal for rapidly expanding datasets.
• Step Allocation: The capacity increases by a fixed step size, providing predictable memory usage.

Why Use DSAllocator?

The primary benefit of using DSAllocator is that it simplifies memory management in C. Instead of manually tracking and freeing each pointer, you can let DSAllocator handle it for you. This reduces the risk of memory leaks and ensures that all allocated memory is properly freed when it's no longer needed.

Here's a quick rundown of the features DSAllocator offers:

• Dynamic memory management with automatic resizing.
• Custom allocation strategies (double or step allocation).
• Easy-to-use API for adding, managing, and freeing pointers.
• Debugging tools to inspect the internal state of the allocator.

Getting Started with DSAllocator

Integrating DSAllocator into your project is straightforward. Start by including the DSAllocator.h header file in your C source files:

#include "DSAllocator.h"

Next, initialize the allocator with your preferred allocation mode and step size (if using step mode):

DSAllocator *allocator = dsa_initialize(DS_ALLOCATOR_MODE_STEP, 10);
if (allocator == NULL) {
    // Handle initialization failure
}

You can now add pointers to dynamically allocated memory to the allocator, create and manage strings, and allocate custom data. Here’s an example:

char *str = dsa_createString(allocator, "Hello, World!");
int *value = (int *)dsa_allocate(allocator, &someInt, sizeof(int));

When you're done, simply call dsa_free(allocator) to free all tracked memory.

Example Code

Here's a complete example that demonstrates how to use DSAllocator in a C program:

#include 
#include "DSAllocator.h"

void test(DSAllocator *allocator) {
    dsa_addPointer(allocator, strdup("Hello world!"));
    dsa_debug(allocator);
}

int main() {
    DSAllocator *allocator = dsa_initialize(DS_ALLOCATOR_MODE_STEP, 10);
    if (allocator == NULL) {
        return 1;
    }

    for (int i = 0; i < 20; i++) {
        test(allocator);
    }

    dsa_free(allocator);
    
    return 0;
}

Conclusion

DSAllocator is a powerful tool for managing dynamic memory in C. Whether you're developing small utilities or large applications, this library can help you avoid memory leaks and streamline your memory management process. Feel free to explore the code and integrate it into your own projects!

You can find the full source code and more examples on my Gitlab repository. If you have any questions or feedback, please don't hesitate to reach out!