Manual Memory Management
Manual memory management is a programming paradigm where developers explicitly allocate and deallocate memory for data structures during program execution, rather than relying on automatic garbage collection. It involves using functions like malloc() and free() in languages such as C or C++ to control memory usage directly. This approach requires careful handling to avoid issues like memory leaks, dangling pointers, and buffer overflows.
Developers should learn manual memory management when working with systems programming, embedded systems, or performance-critical applications where fine-grained control over memory is essential for efficiency and resource optimization. It is crucial in languages like C and C++ for building operating systems, game engines, or real-time systems, as it allows minimizing overhead and predicting memory behavior. However, it demands rigorous practices to prevent security vulnerabilities and crashes.