heapbacking

Heapbacking refers to a memory management technique where a heap data structure is used to manage underlying resources. Instead of allocating and deallocating memory directly from a system-level heap, a custom heap is maintained within a larger block of pre-allocated memory. This custom heap then provides its own allocation and deallocation routines, effectively creating a "heap within a heap."

The primary motivations for heapbacking include performance optimization and improved memory utilization. By managing memory at a higher level, applications can achieve faster allocation and deallocation times, especially when dealing with many small objects. It can also help reduce memory fragmentation, as the heap manager has finer control over how memory is organized. This technique is commonly employed in areas like game development, embedded systems, and high-performance computing where precise control over memory is crucial.

A heapbacked allocator typically works by dividing a large contiguous memory region into smaller blocks. When an allocation request is made, the heap manager searches for a suitable free block. Deallocation involves marking a block as free and potentially merging it with adjacent free blocks to prevent fragmentation. The overhead of managing the heapbacking structure itself is generally low, making it an efficient solution for specific memory management challenges.