IsOwned

IsOwned is a term used in software design to denote whether a resource or object is owned by a particular component or module. It commonly appears as a boolean flag on a resource handle, pointer wrapper, or API object. When IsOwned is true, the owner is responsible for releasing, disposing, or finalizing the resource, typically when the owner is destroyed or when the resource is explicitly released. When false, the resource may be owned by another component or managed by a separate lifecycle, and the current component must not attempt to free it to avoid double-free or use-after-free errors. Ownership can be transferred by performing a move or by explicitly updating the flag.

In practice IsOwned is used in memory and resource management, including wrappers around memory buffers, file handles, graphics resources, or database connections. It is often found in languages or frameworks that require explicit lifecycle management or in APIs that expose handles to external resources. Some languages with strict ownership models (for example Rust) express ownership through type system guarantees rather than a runtime IsOwned flag, which may reduce or eliminate the need for such a flag. In other environments, IsOwned helps implement deterministic cleanup, RAII-style patterns, or reference-like ownership semantics.

Common pitfalls include incorrect flag handling leading to premature deallocation or leaks, inconsistent ownership after copying or moving resources, and thread safety concerns. Alternatives include using ownership-aware smart pointers, reference counting, or garbage collection to manage resource lifecycles automatically.