What are memory leaks and how do they cause fragmentation?

What are memory leaks and how do they cause fragmentation?

Memory leaks occur when a program allocates memory but fails to release it, leading to wasted resources. This can cause fragmentation, where free memory is split into small, non-contiguous blocks, making it difficult for programs to allocate larger chunks of memory.

Can you explain how to detect memory leaks?

You can detect memory leaks using tools like Valgrind, which analyzes your program's memory usage, or by monitoring memory allocation patterns in your code.

What are some common causes of memory leaks?

Common causes include failing to free memory after use, circular references in data structures, and not properly managing resources in languages without automatic garbage collection.

How can I prevent memory fragmentation?

To prevent fragmentation, you can use memory pools, allocate memory in larger blocks, and regularly defragment memory if your programming environment allows it.