Identifying Memory Leaks

Memory leaks can be tricky to identify because they don't typically cause your program to immediately malfunction. Instead, they gradually consume more and more memory over time.

Here are a few strategies for identifying memory leaks:

1. Use a memory profiler. Many IDEs have built-in memory profilers, or you can use standalone tools. These tools can track memory allocations and deallocations and highlight leaks.
2. Manually track allocations and deallocations. In a complex program, this can be tedious, but in simpler programs, you can simply make sure that every new has a corresponding delete.
3. Pay attention to performance over time. If your program's memory usage keeps growing the longer it runs, even for the same workload, that's a strong indication of a memory leak.
4. Use smart pointers and standard containers. While not foolproof, using std::unique_ptr, std::shared_ptr, std::vector, etc., can dramatically reduce the likelihood of memory leaks, as they handle deallocation for you.

Here's an example of a memory leak:

1void func() {
2  int* ptr = new int(10);
3
4  return; // Leak: ptr is never deleted 
5}

And here's how you might fix it:

1void func() {
2  int* ptr = new int(10);
3  // ...
4  delete ptr;
5}

Or, even better, with a smart pointer:

1#include <memory>
2
3void func() {
4  std::unique_ptr<int> ptr{
5    std::make_unique<int>(10)};
6
7  // ...
8  // ptr will be automatically deleted
9}

Remember, every new should have a corresponding delete, and if you find manual memory management cumbersome, use smart pointers and containers instead.