What Memory Leak Meaning, Applications & Example

Causes of Memory Leaks

1. Unclosed Resources: Not properly releasing resources like file handles or database connections.
2. Dangling References: Objects that are no longer needed but are still referenced in the program.
3. Improper Garbage Collection: When the garbage collector fails to reclaim memory from unreferenced objects.

Preventing Memory Leaks

• Automatic Memory Management: Languages like Python or Java manage memory automatically through garbage collection.
• Manual Memory Management: In languages like C/C++, ensure proper deallocation of memory using functions like free() or delete.
• Memory Profiling Tools: Use tools to track memory usage and detect leaks.

Example of Memory Leak

In C++:

#include <iostream>

void createMemoryLeak() {
    int* leak = new int[1000]; // Memory allocated but never freed
    // No delete[] leak; here, causing a memory leak
}

int main() {
    createMemoryLeak();
    return 0;
}

This code allocates memory for an array but does not release it, causing a memory leak.