Is There a Practical Difference Between the Free Store and the Heap in C ?

Free Store vs Heap: A Distinction in Practice

In C , memory management involves two terms that often appear interchangeable: free store and heap. While both refer to dynamically allocated memory regions, the question arises: is there a discernible difference in practice?

Distinction in Concept

Traditionally, the free store has been associated with memory allocated using the new operator, while the heap is linked to malloc. However, the distinction has primarily remained conceptual.

Compiler Perspective

In modern C compilers, the line between the free store and the heap has become blurred. They typically manage memory allocation using a unified system, regardless of the allocation method used.

Operational Differences

The primary operational difference between new/delete and malloc/free lies in the invocation of constructors and destructors. When using new, a constructor for the allocated object is invoked, and the delete operator calls the object's destructor upon deallocation. Conversely, malloc and free do not automatically perform these operations.

Interview Considerations

During interviews, candidates should emphasize the traditional separation between the free store (used by new/delete) and the heap (used by malloc/free). This demonstrates a fundamental understanding of C memory management.

Implementation Details

While the conceptual separation between free store and heap persists, compilers may implement both within the same memory space. This, however, is an implementation detail that can vary across compilers.

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