What are the differences between automatic and manual memory management?

What are the differences between automatic and manual memory management?

Automatic memory management, often handled by garbage collectors, frees up memory without programmer intervention. Manual memory management requires programmers to allocate and deallocate memory explicitly.

What are the advantages of using automatic memory management?

Automatic memory management reduces the risk of memory leaks and makes code easier to maintain, as developers don't have to track memory allocation.

Are there any downsides to automatic memory management?

Yes, it can introduce overhead and may lead to unpredictable performance due to garbage collection pauses.

In what scenarios is manual memory management preferred?

Manual memory management is preferred in performance-critical applications, like game development, where fine control over memory usage is essential.