? Memory Management in C

Memory management in C is all about allocating, accessing, and freeing memory manually. Unlike modern languages with garbage collection, you control everything in C — which gives you both power and responsibility. ???

? Types of Memory in C

#include #include <stdlib.h>int main() { int *ptr; ptr = (int *)malloc(sizeof(int)); // Allocate memory for 1 int if (ptr == NULL) { printf("Memory not allocated.\n"); return 1; } *ptr = 42; printf("Value = %d\n", *ptr); free(ptr); // Always free memory return 0;}

? calloc vs malloc

c
int *a = (int *)malloc(5 * sizeof(int));   // Uninitializedint *b = (int *)calloc(5, sizeof(int));    // All set to 0

? realloc Example

c
int *arr = malloc(2 * sizeof(int));arr = realloc(arr, 4 * sizeof(int));  // Resize to hold 4 ints

?? Common Mistakes to Avoid

• ? Forgetting to free() ? memory leak

• ? Accessing freed memory ? undefined behavior

• ? Dereferencing null or uninitialized pointers

• ? Always check if malloc/calloc returns NULL

? Tip: Always Pair

c
malloc ? free  calloc ? free  realloc ? free