<aside> <img src="/icons/home_green.svg" alt="/icons/home_green.svg" width="40px" />

Back to Home

</aside>

https://jennychen9827sbu.github.io/CAD281/malloc.html

What is malloc?

malloc (memory allocation) is a function in C used to dynamically allocate memory from the heap during runtime.

Why use malloc?

• You don’t know the size of data at compile time (e.g. user input).
• You want to allocate memory only when needed (save space).
• Arrays with flexible size (e.g. int* arr = malloc(n * sizeof(int));).

Where is the memory allocated?

• Memory is taken from the heap (a large pool separate from the stack).
• Returned as a pointer to the beginning of the allocated block.

When to use malloc?

• When the size of the data structure is not known beforehand.
• When large data needs to persist after a function ends.
• For structures like linked lists, trees, etc.