memóriaszivárgásnak

Memóriaszivárgás (memory leak) is a type of resource leak that occurs when a computer program incorrectly manages memory allocations. In this situation, allocated memory is no longer needed by the program but is not released back to the operating system or the memory pool. This unused memory remains inaccessible and unusable for the duration of the program's execution.

Over time, if a program has multiple memory leaks, the cumulative effect can lead to a significant reduction in available memory. This can slow down the entire system, causing other programs to run poorly or even crash. In severe cases, a persistent memory leak can exhaust all available memory, leading to system instability and requiring a reboot.

Memory leaks can be subtle and difficult to detect. They often arise from programming errors, such as failing to deallocate dynamically allocated memory when it's no longer required, or issues with garbage collection in languages that support it. Developers use various tools and techniques to identify and fix memory leaks, including code analysis, profiling, and debugging.

The primary consequence of a memory leak is performance degradation and potential system instability. While modern operating systems and programming languages have mechanisms to mitigate the impact of leaks, they are not foolproof. Therefore, careful memory management during software development is crucial to prevent these issues and ensure program stability and efficiency.