What are some memory safety features in programming languages?

What are some memory safety features in programming languages?

Many modern programming languages implement memory safety features to prevent issues like buffer overflows and null pointer dereferences. For example, Rust uses ownership and borrowing to manage memory safely without a garbage collector.

How does Rust's ownership model work?

Rust's ownership model ensures that each piece of data has a single owner at a time. When the owner goes out of scope, the memory is automatically freed. This prevents memory leaks and data races.

Are there other languages with similar features?

Yes, languages like Swift and Kotlin also incorporate memory safety features. Swift uses optionals to handle null values safely, while Kotlin has null safety built into its type system.

What about older languages like C or C++?

C and C++ do not have built-in memory safety features, which makes them more prone to memory-related bugs. However, developers can use tools like AddressSanitizer or smart pointers in C++ to help manage memory more safely.