What Is A Memory Leak?

Date First Published: 16th February 2024

Topic: Computer Systems

Subtopic: Computer Software

Article Type: Computer Terms & Definitions

Difficulty Level: 7/10

Learn about what a memory leak is in this article.

A memory leak is a programming error that happens when a program fails to release memory that is no longer needed, gradually consuming more memory until none is left. A memory leak can be detected by monitoring memory usage and identifying any program or process that is slowly consuming more memory.

Closing the program responsible for the memory leak frees up the memory and resolves the problem until the program is opened again. A program with a memory leak will continue to leak memory every time it is opened until the error is fixed, but there are software development kits that include debuggers that can check source code for memory leaks. Also, keeping the operating system and programs up to date can fix memory leak errors.

Effects Of Memory Leaks

A memory leak causes a spike in memory usage, which can slow down the computer and negatively impact the user experience. Eventually, the computer may have no memory left for other functions, causing it to freeze or crash.

Memory leaks may not be serious or detectable by normal methods. In modern operating systems, memory used by a program is released when it terminates, so there is no system instability. Memory leaks are more serious issues for long-running programs like servers, which run for an extended period of time without restarting and consume additional memory over time.

How To Prevent Memory Leaks?

For developers, most programming languages have features to help with automatic memory management, such as a garbage collector. This helps to free up memory that is not in use. Also, writing code that disposes of unneeded resources can help prevent memory leaks. Developers must write specific code indicating to the application that the resource's work has finished and there is no further memory use.

For users who are experiencing memory leaks, forcing the program to close or restarting the device will fix a memory leak. Users should also update the program or application as that may include a fix for a memory leak introduced through faulty code or a bug. The memory leak might come from some sort of bug and updating the program or operating system is one of the best options to fix persistent memory leak problems.

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