Memory Allocation Strategies with Zig

52 Weeks of Cloud

Zig's Memory Management Philosophy

• Explicit and transparent memory management
• Runtime error detection vs compile-time checks
• No hidden allocations
• Must handle allocation errors explicitly using try/defer/ensure
• Runtime leak detection capability

Comparison with C and Rust

C Differences

• Safer than C due to explicit memory handling
• No "foot guns" or easy-to-create security holes
• No forgotten free() calls
• Clear memory ownership model

Rust Differences

• Rust: Compile-time ownership and borrowing rules
  • Single owner for memory
  • Automatic memory freeing
  • Built-in safety with performance trade-off
• Zig: Runtime-focused approach
  • Explicit allocators passed around
  • Memory management via defer
  • No compile-time ownership restrictions
  • Runtime leak/error checking

Four Types of Zig Allocators

General Purpose Allocator (GPA)

• Tracks all allocations
• Detects leaks and double-frees
• Like a "librarian tracking books"
• Most commonly used for general programming

Arena Allocator

• Frees all memory at once
• Very fast allocations
• Best for temporary data (e.g., JSON parsing)
• Like "dumping LEGO blocks"

Fixed Buffer Allocator

• Stack memory only, no heap
• Fixed size allocation
• Ideal for embedded systems
• Like a "fixed size box"

Page Allocator

• Direct OS memory access
• Page-aligned blocks
• Best for large applications
• Like "buying land and subdividing"

Real-World Performance Comparisons

Binary Size

• Zig "Hello World": ~300KB
• Rust "Hello World": ~1.8MB

HTTP Server Sizes

• Zig minimal server (Alpine Docker): ~300KB
• Rust minimal server (Scratch Docker): ~2MB

Full Stack Example

• Zig server with JSON/SQLite: ~850KB
• Rust server with JSON/SQLite: ~4.2MB

Runtime Characteristics

• Zig: Near-instant startup, ~3KB runtime
• Rust: Runtime initialization required, ~100KB runtime size
• Zig offers optional runtime overhead
• Rust includes mandatory memory safety runtime

The episode concludes by suggesting Zig as a complementary tool alongside Rust, particularly for specialized use cases requiring minimal binary size or runtime overhead, such as embedded systems development.

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