C++: Memory allocators

Question

I\'ve heard about people using custom memory allocators for their project, particulary in C++.

• What is a custom memory allocator, compared to malloc?

Answer 1

Memory allocators are used as optimizations for speed. Allocations by the Operating system are slow. So your own memory manager grabs a large bucket of memory, and then makes the allocations for you from that memory bucket without going through the OS. This technique is more frequently used in games/consoles/embeded systems.

http://www.memorymanagement.org/articles/

http://www.ibm.com/developerworks/aix/tutorials/au-memorymanager/au-memorymanager-pdf.pdf