mirror of
				https://github.com/python/cpython.git
				synced 2025-10-31 05:31:20 +00:00 
			
		
		
		
	 a41782cc84
			
		
	
	
		a41782cc84
		
			
		
	
	
	
	
		
			
			Add Doc/using/configure.rst documentation to document configure, preprocessor, compiler and linker options. Add a new section about the "Python debug build".
		
			
				
	
	
		
			643 lines
		
	
	
	
		
			26 KiB
		
	
	
	
		
			ReStructuredText
		
	
	
	
	
	
			
		
		
	
	
			643 lines
		
	
	
	
		
			26 KiB
		
	
	
	
		
			ReStructuredText
		
	
	
	
	
	
| .. highlight:: c
 | |
| 
 | |
| 
 | |
| .. _memory:
 | |
| 
 | |
| *****************
 | |
| Memory Management
 | |
| *****************
 | |
| 
 | |
| .. sectionauthor:: Vladimir Marangozov <Vladimir.Marangozov@inrialpes.fr>
 | |
| 
 | |
| 
 | |
| 
 | |
| .. _memoryoverview:
 | |
| 
 | |
| Overview
 | |
| ========
 | |
| 
 | |
| Memory management in Python involves a private heap containing all Python
 | |
| objects and data structures. The management of this private heap is ensured
 | |
| internally by the *Python memory manager*.  The Python memory manager has
 | |
| different components which deal with various dynamic storage management aspects,
 | |
| like sharing, segmentation, preallocation or caching.
 | |
| 
 | |
| At the lowest level, a raw memory allocator ensures that there is enough room in
 | |
| the private heap for storing all Python-related data by interacting with the
 | |
| memory manager of the operating system. On top of the raw memory allocator,
 | |
| several object-specific allocators operate on the same heap and implement
 | |
| distinct memory management policies adapted to the peculiarities of every object
 | |
| type. For example, integer objects are managed differently within the heap than
 | |
| strings, tuples or dictionaries because integers imply different storage
 | |
| requirements and speed/space tradeoffs. The Python memory manager thus delegates
 | |
| some of the work to the object-specific allocators, but ensures that the latter
 | |
| operate within the bounds of the private heap.
 | |
| 
 | |
| It is important to understand that the management of the Python heap is
 | |
| performed by the interpreter itself and that the user has no control over it,
 | |
| even if they regularly manipulate object pointers to memory blocks inside that
 | |
| heap.  The allocation of heap space for Python objects and other internal
 | |
| buffers is performed on demand by the Python memory manager through the Python/C
 | |
| API functions listed in this document.
 | |
| 
 | |
| .. index::
 | |
|    single: malloc()
 | |
|    single: calloc()
 | |
|    single: realloc()
 | |
|    single: free()
 | |
| 
 | |
| To avoid memory corruption, extension writers should never try to operate on
 | |
| Python objects with the functions exported by the C library: :c:func:`malloc`,
 | |
| :c:func:`calloc`, :c:func:`realloc` and :c:func:`free`.  This will result in  mixed
 | |
| calls between the C allocator and the Python memory manager with fatal
 | |
| consequences, because they implement different algorithms and operate on
 | |
| different heaps.  However, one may safely allocate and release memory blocks
 | |
| with the C library allocator for individual purposes, as shown in the following
 | |
| example::
 | |
| 
 | |
|    PyObject *res;
 | |
|    char *buf = (char *) malloc(BUFSIZ); /* for I/O */
 | |
| 
 | |
|    if (buf == NULL)
 | |
|        return PyErr_NoMemory();
 | |
|    ...Do some I/O operation involving buf...
 | |
|    res = PyBytes_FromString(buf);
 | |
|    free(buf); /* malloc'ed */
 | |
|    return res;
 | |
| 
 | |
| In this example, the memory request for the I/O buffer is handled by the C
 | |
| library allocator. The Python memory manager is involved only in the allocation
 | |
| of the bytes object returned as a result.
 | |
| 
 | |
| In most situations, however, it is recommended to allocate memory from the
 | |
| Python heap specifically because the latter is under control of the Python
 | |
| memory manager. For example, this is required when the interpreter is extended
 | |
| with new object types written in C. Another reason for using the Python heap is
 | |
| the desire to *inform* the Python memory manager about the memory needs of the
 | |
| extension module. Even when the requested memory is used exclusively for
 | |
| internal, highly-specific purposes, delegating all memory requests to the Python
 | |
| memory manager causes the interpreter to have a more accurate image of its
 | |
| memory footprint as a whole. Consequently, under certain circumstances, the
 | |
| Python memory manager may or may not trigger appropriate actions, like garbage
 | |
| collection, memory compaction or other preventive procedures. Note that by using
 | |
| the C library allocator as shown in the previous example, the allocated memory
 | |
| for the I/O buffer escapes completely the Python memory manager.
 | |
| 
 | |
| .. seealso::
 | |
| 
 | |
|    The :envvar:`PYTHONMALLOC` environment variable can be used to configure
 | |
|    the memory allocators used by Python.
 | |
| 
 | |
|    The :envvar:`PYTHONMALLOCSTATS` environment variable can be used to print
 | |
|    statistics of the :ref:`pymalloc memory allocator <pymalloc>` every time a
 | |
|    new pymalloc object arena is created, and on shutdown.
 | |
| 
 | |
| Allocator Domains
 | |
| =================
 | |
| 
 | |
| All allocating functions belong to one of three different "domains" (see also
 | |
| :c:type:`PyMemAllocatorDomain`). These domains represent different allocation
 | |
| strategies and are optimized for different purposes. The specific details on
 | |
| how every domain allocates memory or what internal functions each domain calls
 | |
| is considered an implementation detail, but for debugging purposes a simplified
 | |
| table can be found at :ref:`here <default-memory-allocators>`. There is no hard
 | |
| requirement to use the memory returned by the allocation functions belonging to
 | |
| a given domain for only the purposes hinted by that domain (although this is the
 | |
| recommended practice). For example, one could use the memory returned by
 | |
| :c:func:`PyMem_RawMalloc` for allocating Python objects or the memory returned
 | |
| by :c:func:`PyObject_Malloc` for allocating memory for buffers.
 | |
| 
 | |
| The three allocation domains are:
 | |
| 
 | |
| * Raw domain: intended for allocating memory for general-purpose memory
 | |
|   buffers where the allocation *must* go to the system allocator or where the
 | |
|   allocator can operate without the :term:`GIL`. The memory is requested directly
 | |
|   to the system.
 | |
| 
 | |
| * "Mem" domain: intended for allocating memory for Python buffers and
 | |
|   general-purpose memory buffers where the allocation must be performed with
 | |
|   the :term:`GIL` held. The memory is taken from the Python private heap.
 | |
| 
 | |
| * Object domain: intended for allocating memory belonging to Python objects. The
 | |
|   memory is taken from the Python private heap.
 | |
| 
 | |
| When freeing memory previously allocated by the allocating functions belonging to a
 | |
| given domain,the matching specific deallocating functions must be used. For example,
 | |
| :c:func:`PyMem_Free` must be used to free memory allocated using :c:func:`PyMem_Malloc`.
 | |
| 
 | |
| Raw Memory Interface
 | |
| ====================
 | |
| 
 | |
| The following function sets are wrappers to the system allocator. These
 | |
| functions are thread-safe, the :term:`GIL <global interpreter lock>` does not
 | |
| need to be held.
 | |
| 
 | |
| The :ref:`default raw memory allocator <default-memory-allocators>` uses
 | |
| the following functions: :c:func:`malloc`, :c:func:`calloc`, :c:func:`realloc`
 | |
| and :c:func:`free`; call ``malloc(1)`` (or ``calloc(1, 1)``) when requesting
 | |
| zero bytes.
 | |
| 
 | |
| .. versionadded:: 3.4
 | |
| 
 | |
| .. c:function:: void* PyMem_RawMalloc(size_t n)
 | |
| 
 | |
|    Allocates *n* bytes and returns a pointer of type :c:type:`void*` to the
 | |
|    allocated memory, or ``NULL`` if the request fails.
 | |
| 
 | |
|    Requesting zero bytes returns a distinct non-``NULL`` pointer if possible, as
 | |
|    if ``PyMem_RawMalloc(1)`` had been called instead. The memory will not have
 | |
|    been initialized in any way.
 | |
| 
 | |
| 
 | |
| .. c:function:: void* PyMem_RawCalloc(size_t nelem, size_t elsize)
 | |
| 
 | |
|    Allocates *nelem* elements each whose size in bytes is *elsize* and returns
 | |
|    a pointer of type :c:type:`void*` to the allocated memory, or ``NULL`` if the
 | |
|    request fails. The memory is initialized to zeros.
 | |
| 
 | |
|    Requesting zero elements or elements of size zero bytes returns a distinct
 | |
|    non-``NULL`` pointer if possible, as if ``PyMem_RawCalloc(1, 1)`` had been
 | |
|    called instead.
 | |
| 
 | |
|    .. versionadded:: 3.5
 | |
| 
 | |
| 
 | |
| .. c:function:: void* PyMem_RawRealloc(void *p, size_t n)
 | |
| 
 | |
|    Resizes the memory block pointed to by *p* to *n* bytes. The contents will
 | |
|    be unchanged to the minimum of the old and the new sizes.
 | |
| 
 | |
|    If *p* is ``NULL``, the call is equivalent to ``PyMem_RawMalloc(n)``; else if
 | |
|    *n* is equal to zero, the memory block is resized but is not freed, and the
 | |
|    returned pointer is non-``NULL``.
 | |
| 
 | |
|    Unless *p* is ``NULL``, it must have been returned by a previous call to
 | |
|    :c:func:`PyMem_RawMalloc`, :c:func:`PyMem_RawRealloc` or
 | |
|    :c:func:`PyMem_RawCalloc`.
 | |
| 
 | |
|    If the request fails, :c:func:`PyMem_RawRealloc` returns ``NULL`` and *p*
 | |
|    remains a valid pointer to the previous memory area.
 | |
| 
 | |
| 
 | |
| .. c:function:: void PyMem_RawFree(void *p)
 | |
| 
 | |
|    Frees the memory block pointed to by *p*, which must have been returned by a
 | |
|    previous call to :c:func:`PyMem_RawMalloc`, :c:func:`PyMem_RawRealloc` or
 | |
|    :c:func:`PyMem_RawCalloc`.  Otherwise, or if ``PyMem_RawFree(p)`` has been
 | |
|    called before, undefined behavior occurs.
 | |
| 
 | |
|    If *p* is ``NULL``, no operation is performed.
 | |
| 
 | |
| 
 | |
| .. _memoryinterface:
 | |
| 
 | |
| Memory Interface
 | |
| ================
 | |
| 
 | |
| The following function sets, modeled after the ANSI C standard, but specifying
 | |
| behavior when requesting zero bytes, are available for allocating and releasing
 | |
| memory from the Python heap.
 | |
| 
 | |
| The :ref:`default memory allocator <default-memory-allocators>` uses the
 | |
| :ref:`pymalloc memory allocator <pymalloc>`.
 | |
| 
 | |
| .. warning::
 | |
| 
 | |
|    The :term:`GIL <global interpreter lock>` must be held when using these
 | |
|    functions.
 | |
| 
 | |
| .. versionchanged:: 3.6
 | |
| 
 | |
|    The default allocator is now pymalloc instead of system :c:func:`malloc`.
 | |
| 
 | |
| .. c:function:: void* PyMem_Malloc(size_t n)
 | |
| 
 | |
|    Allocates *n* bytes and returns a pointer of type :c:type:`void*` to the
 | |
|    allocated memory, or ``NULL`` if the request fails.
 | |
| 
 | |
|    Requesting zero bytes returns a distinct non-``NULL`` pointer if possible, as
 | |
|    if ``PyMem_Malloc(1)`` had been called instead. The memory will not have
 | |
|    been initialized in any way.
 | |
| 
 | |
| 
 | |
| .. c:function:: void* PyMem_Calloc(size_t nelem, size_t elsize)
 | |
| 
 | |
|    Allocates *nelem* elements each whose size in bytes is *elsize* and returns
 | |
|    a pointer of type :c:type:`void*` to the allocated memory, or ``NULL`` if the
 | |
|    request fails. The memory is initialized to zeros.
 | |
| 
 | |
|    Requesting zero elements or elements of size zero bytes returns a distinct
 | |
|    non-``NULL`` pointer if possible, as if ``PyMem_Calloc(1, 1)`` had been called
 | |
|    instead.
 | |
| 
 | |
|    .. versionadded:: 3.5
 | |
| 
 | |
| 
 | |
| .. c:function:: void* PyMem_Realloc(void *p, size_t n)
 | |
| 
 | |
|    Resizes the memory block pointed to by *p* to *n* bytes. The contents will be
 | |
|    unchanged to the minimum of the old and the new sizes.
 | |
| 
 | |
|    If *p* is ``NULL``, the call is equivalent to ``PyMem_Malloc(n)``; else if *n*
 | |
|    is equal to zero, the memory block is resized but is not freed, and the
 | |
|    returned pointer is non-``NULL``.
 | |
| 
 | |
|    Unless *p* is ``NULL``, it must have been returned by a previous call to
 | |
|    :c:func:`PyMem_Malloc`, :c:func:`PyMem_Realloc` or :c:func:`PyMem_Calloc`.
 | |
| 
 | |
|    If the request fails, :c:func:`PyMem_Realloc` returns ``NULL`` and *p* remains
 | |
|    a valid pointer to the previous memory area.
 | |
| 
 | |
| 
 | |
| .. c:function:: void PyMem_Free(void *p)
 | |
| 
 | |
|    Frees the memory block pointed to by *p*, which must have been returned by a
 | |
|    previous call to :c:func:`PyMem_Malloc`, :c:func:`PyMem_Realloc` or
 | |
|    :c:func:`PyMem_Calloc`.  Otherwise, or if ``PyMem_Free(p)`` has been called
 | |
|    before, undefined behavior occurs.
 | |
| 
 | |
|    If *p* is ``NULL``, no operation is performed.
 | |
| 
 | |
| The following type-oriented macros are provided for convenience.  Note  that
 | |
| *TYPE* refers to any C type.
 | |
| 
 | |
| 
 | |
| .. c:function:: TYPE* PyMem_New(TYPE, size_t n)
 | |
| 
 | |
|    Same as :c:func:`PyMem_Malloc`, but allocates ``(n * sizeof(TYPE))`` bytes of
 | |
|    memory.  Returns a pointer cast to :c:type:`TYPE*`.  The memory will not have
 | |
|    been initialized in any way.
 | |
| 
 | |
| 
 | |
| .. c:function:: TYPE* PyMem_Resize(void *p, TYPE, size_t n)
 | |
| 
 | |
|    Same as :c:func:`PyMem_Realloc`, but the memory block is resized to ``(n *
 | |
|    sizeof(TYPE))`` bytes.  Returns a pointer cast to :c:type:`TYPE*`. On return,
 | |
|    *p* will be a pointer to the new memory area, or ``NULL`` in the event of
 | |
|    failure.
 | |
| 
 | |
|    This is a C preprocessor macro; *p* is always reassigned.  Save the original
 | |
|    value of *p* to avoid losing memory when handling errors.
 | |
| 
 | |
| 
 | |
| .. c:function:: void PyMem_Del(void *p)
 | |
| 
 | |
|    Same as :c:func:`PyMem_Free`.
 | |
| 
 | |
| In addition, the following macro sets are provided for calling the Python memory
 | |
| allocator directly, without involving the C API functions listed above. However,
 | |
| note that their use does not preserve binary compatibility across Python
 | |
| versions and is therefore deprecated in extension modules.
 | |
| 
 | |
| * ``PyMem_MALLOC(size)``
 | |
| * ``PyMem_NEW(type, size)``
 | |
| * ``PyMem_REALLOC(ptr, size)``
 | |
| * ``PyMem_RESIZE(ptr, type, size)``
 | |
| * ``PyMem_FREE(ptr)``
 | |
| * ``PyMem_DEL(ptr)``
 | |
| 
 | |
| 
 | |
| Object allocators
 | |
| =================
 | |
| 
 | |
| The following function sets, modeled after the ANSI C standard, but specifying
 | |
| behavior when requesting zero bytes, are available for allocating and releasing
 | |
| memory from the Python heap.
 | |
| 
 | |
| .. note::
 | |
|     There is no guarantee that the memory returned by these allocators can be
 | |
|     succesfully casted to a Python object when intercepting the allocating
 | |
|     functions in this domain by the methods described in
 | |
|     the :ref:`Customize Memory Allocators <customize-memory-allocators>` section.
 | |
| 
 | |
| The :ref:`default object allocator <default-memory-allocators>` uses the
 | |
| :ref:`pymalloc memory allocator <pymalloc>`.
 | |
| 
 | |
| .. warning::
 | |
| 
 | |
|    The :term:`GIL <global interpreter lock>` must be held when using these
 | |
|    functions.
 | |
| 
 | |
| .. c:function:: void* PyObject_Malloc(size_t n)
 | |
| 
 | |
|    Allocates *n* bytes and returns a pointer of type :c:type:`void*` to the
 | |
|    allocated memory, or ``NULL`` if the request fails.
 | |
| 
 | |
|    Requesting zero bytes returns a distinct non-``NULL`` pointer if possible, as
 | |
|    if ``PyObject_Malloc(1)`` had been called instead. The memory will not have
 | |
|    been initialized in any way.
 | |
| 
 | |
| 
 | |
| .. c:function:: void* PyObject_Calloc(size_t nelem, size_t elsize)
 | |
| 
 | |
|    Allocates *nelem* elements each whose size in bytes is *elsize* and returns
 | |
|    a pointer of type :c:type:`void*` to the allocated memory, or ``NULL`` if the
 | |
|    request fails. The memory is initialized to zeros.
 | |
| 
 | |
|    Requesting zero elements or elements of size zero bytes returns a distinct
 | |
|    non-``NULL`` pointer if possible, as if ``PyObject_Calloc(1, 1)`` had been called
 | |
|    instead.
 | |
| 
 | |
|    .. versionadded:: 3.5
 | |
| 
 | |
| 
 | |
| .. c:function:: void* PyObject_Realloc(void *p, size_t n)
 | |
| 
 | |
|    Resizes the memory block pointed to by *p* to *n* bytes. The contents will be
 | |
|    unchanged to the minimum of the old and the new sizes.
 | |
| 
 | |
|    If *p* is ``NULL``, the call is equivalent to ``PyObject_Malloc(n)``; else if *n*
 | |
|    is equal to zero, the memory block is resized but is not freed, and the
 | |
|    returned pointer is non-``NULL``.
 | |
| 
 | |
|    Unless *p* is ``NULL``, it must have been returned by a previous call to
 | |
|    :c:func:`PyObject_Malloc`, :c:func:`PyObject_Realloc` or :c:func:`PyObject_Calloc`.
 | |
| 
 | |
|    If the request fails, :c:func:`PyObject_Realloc` returns ``NULL`` and *p* remains
 | |
|    a valid pointer to the previous memory area.
 | |
| 
 | |
| 
 | |
| .. c:function:: void PyObject_Free(void *p)
 | |
| 
 | |
|    Frees the memory block pointed to by *p*, which must have been returned by a
 | |
|    previous call to :c:func:`PyObject_Malloc`, :c:func:`PyObject_Realloc` or
 | |
|    :c:func:`PyObject_Calloc`.  Otherwise, or if ``PyObject_Free(p)`` has been called
 | |
|    before, undefined behavior occurs.
 | |
| 
 | |
|    If *p* is ``NULL``, no operation is performed.
 | |
| 
 | |
| 
 | |
| .. _default-memory-allocators:
 | |
| 
 | |
| Default Memory Allocators
 | |
| =========================
 | |
| 
 | |
| Default memory allocators:
 | |
| 
 | |
| ===============================  ====================  ==================  =====================  ====================
 | |
| Configuration                    Name                  PyMem_RawMalloc     PyMem_Malloc           PyObject_Malloc
 | |
| ===============================  ====================  ==================  =====================  ====================
 | |
| Release build                    ``"pymalloc"``        ``malloc``          ``pymalloc``           ``pymalloc``
 | |
| Debug build                      ``"pymalloc_debug"``  ``malloc`` + debug  ``pymalloc`` + debug   ``pymalloc`` + debug
 | |
| Release build, without pymalloc  ``"malloc"``          ``malloc``          ``malloc``             ``malloc``
 | |
| Debug build, without pymalloc    ``"malloc_debug"``    ``malloc`` + debug  ``malloc`` + debug     ``malloc`` + debug
 | |
| ===============================  ====================  ==================  =====================  ====================
 | |
| 
 | |
| Legend:
 | |
| 
 | |
| * Name: value for :envvar:`PYTHONMALLOC` environment variable.
 | |
| * ``malloc``: system allocators from the standard C library, C functions:
 | |
|   :c:func:`malloc`, :c:func:`calloc`, :c:func:`realloc` and :c:func:`free`.
 | |
| * ``pymalloc``: :ref:`pymalloc memory allocator <pymalloc>`.
 | |
| * "+ debug": with debug hooks installed by :c:func:`PyMem_SetupDebugHooks`.
 | |
| * "Debug build": :ref:`Python build in debug mode <debug-build>`.
 | |
| 
 | |
| .. _customize-memory-allocators:
 | |
| 
 | |
| Customize Memory Allocators
 | |
| ===========================
 | |
| 
 | |
| .. versionadded:: 3.4
 | |
| 
 | |
| .. c:type:: PyMemAllocatorEx
 | |
| 
 | |
|    Structure used to describe a memory block allocator. The structure has
 | |
|    four fields:
 | |
| 
 | |
|    +----------------------------------------------------------+---------------------------------------+
 | |
|    | Field                                                    | Meaning                               |
 | |
|    +==========================================================+=======================================+
 | |
|    | ``void *ctx``                                            | user context passed as first argument |
 | |
|    +----------------------------------------------------------+---------------------------------------+
 | |
|    | ``void* malloc(void *ctx, size_t size)``                 | allocate a memory block               |
 | |
|    +----------------------------------------------------------+---------------------------------------+
 | |
|    | ``void* calloc(void *ctx, size_t nelem, size_t elsize)`` | allocate a memory block initialized   |
 | |
|    |                                                          | with zeros                            |
 | |
|    +----------------------------------------------------------+---------------------------------------+
 | |
|    | ``void* realloc(void *ctx, void *ptr, size_t new_size)`` | allocate or resize a memory block     |
 | |
|    +----------------------------------------------------------+---------------------------------------+
 | |
|    | ``void free(void *ctx, void *ptr)``                      | free a memory block                   |
 | |
|    +----------------------------------------------------------+---------------------------------------+
 | |
| 
 | |
|    .. versionchanged:: 3.5
 | |
|       The :c:type:`PyMemAllocator` structure was renamed to
 | |
|       :c:type:`PyMemAllocatorEx` and a new ``calloc`` field was added.
 | |
| 
 | |
| 
 | |
| .. c:type:: PyMemAllocatorDomain
 | |
| 
 | |
|    Enum used to identify an allocator domain. Domains:
 | |
| 
 | |
|    .. c:macro:: PYMEM_DOMAIN_RAW
 | |
| 
 | |
|       Functions:
 | |
| 
 | |
|       * :c:func:`PyMem_RawMalloc`
 | |
|       * :c:func:`PyMem_RawRealloc`
 | |
|       * :c:func:`PyMem_RawCalloc`
 | |
|       * :c:func:`PyMem_RawFree`
 | |
| 
 | |
|    .. c:macro:: PYMEM_DOMAIN_MEM
 | |
| 
 | |
|       Functions:
 | |
| 
 | |
|       * :c:func:`PyMem_Malloc`,
 | |
|       * :c:func:`PyMem_Realloc`
 | |
|       * :c:func:`PyMem_Calloc`
 | |
|       * :c:func:`PyMem_Free`
 | |
| 
 | |
|    .. c:macro:: PYMEM_DOMAIN_OBJ
 | |
| 
 | |
|       Functions:
 | |
| 
 | |
|       * :c:func:`PyObject_Malloc`
 | |
|       * :c:func:`PyObject_Realloc`
 | |
|       * :c:func:`PyObject_Calloc`
 | |
|       * :c:func:`PyObject_Free`
 | |
| 
 | |
| .. c:function:: void PyMem_GetAllocator(PyMemAllocatorDomain domain, PyMemAllocatorEx *allocator)
 | |
| 
 | |
|    Get the memory block allocator of the specified domain.
 | |
| 
 | |
| 
 | |
| .. c:function:: void PyMem_SetAllocator(PyMemAllocatorDomain domain, PyMemAllocatorEx *allocator)
 | |
| 
 | |
|    Set the memory block allocator of the specified domain.
 | |
| 
 | |
|    The new allocator must return a distinct non-``NULL`` pointer when requesting
 | |
|    zero bytes.
 | |
| 
 | |
|    For the :c:data:`PYMEM_DOMAIN_RAW` domain, the allocator must be
 | |
|    thread-safe: the :term:`GIL <global interpreter lock>` is not held when the
 | |
|    allocator is called.
 | |
| 
 | |
|    If the new allocator is not a hook (does not call the previous allocator),
 | |
|    the :c:func:`PyMem_SetupDebugHooks` function must be called to reinstall the
 | |
|    debug hooks on top on the new allocator.
 | |
| 
 | |
| 
 | |
| .. c:function:: void PyMem_SetupDebugHooks(void)
 | |
| 
 | |
|    Setup hooks to detect bugs in the Python memory allocator functions.
 | |
| 
 | |
|    Newly allocated memory is filled with the byte ``0xCD`` (``CLEANBYTE``),
 | |
|    freed memory is filled with the byte ``0xDD`` (``DEADBYTE``). Memory blocks
 | |
|    are surrounded by "forbidden bytes" (``FORBIDDENBYTE``: byte ``0xFD``).
 | |
| 
 | |
|    Runtime checks:
 | |
| 
 | |
|    - Detect API violations, ex: :c:func:`PyObject_Free` called on a buffer
 | |
|      allocated by :c:func:`PyMem_Malloc`
 | |
|    - Detect write before the start of the buffer (buffer underflow)
 | |
|    - Detect write after the end of the buffer (buffer overflow)
 | |
|    - Check that the :term:`GIL <global interpreter lock>` is held when
 | |
|      allocator functions of :c:data:`PYMEM_DOMAIN_OBJ` (ex:
 | |
|      :c:func:`PyObject_Malloc`) and :c:data:`PYMEM_DOMAIN_MEM` (ex:
 | |
|      :c:func:`PyMem_Malloc`) domains are called
 | |
| 
 | |
|    On error, the debug hooks use the :mod:`tracemalloc` module to get the
 | |
|    traceback where a memory block was allocated. The traceback is only
 | |
|    displayed if :mod:`tracemalloc` is tracing Python memory allocations and the
 | |
|    memory block was traced.
 | |
| 
 | |
|    These hooks are :ref:`installed by default <default-memory-allocators>` if
 | |
|    :ref:`Python is built in debug mode <debug-build>`.
 | |
|    The :envvar:`PYTHONMALLOC` environment variable can be used to install
 | |
|    debug hooks on a Python compiled in release mode.
 | |
| 
 | |
|    .. versionchanged:: 3.6
 | |
|       This function now also works on Python compiled in release mode.
 | |
|       On error, the debug hooks now use :mod:`tracemalloc` to get the traceback
 | |
|       where a memory block was allocated. The debug hooks now also check
 | |
|       if the GIL is held when functions of :c:data:`PYMEM_DOMAIN_OBJ` and
 | |
|       :c:data:`PYMEM_DOMAIN_MEM` domains are called.
 | |
| 
 | |
|    .. versionchanged:: 3.8
 | |
|       Byte patterns ``0xCB`` (``CLEANBYTE``), ``0xDB`` (``DEADBYTE``) and
 | |
|       ``0xFB`` (``FORBIDDENBYTE``) have been replaced with ``0xCD``, ``0xDD``
 | |
|       and ``0xFD`` to use the same values than Windows CRT debug ``malloc()``
 | |
|       and ``free()``.
 | |
| 
 | |
| 
 | |
| .. _pymalloc:
 | |
| 
 | |
| The pymalloc allocator
 | |
| ======================
 | |
| 
 | |
| Python has a *pymalloc* allocator optimized for small objects (smaller or equal
 | |
| to 512 bytes) with a short lifetime. It uses memory mappings called "arenas"
 | |
| with a fixed size of 256 KiB. It falls back to :c:func:`PyMem_RawMalloc` and
 | |
| :c:func:`PyMem_RawRealloc` for allocations larger than 512 bytes.
 | |
| 
 | |
| *pymalloc* is the :ref:`default allocator <default-memory-allocators>` of the
 | |
| :c:data:`PYMEM_DOMAIN_MEM` (ex: :c:func:`PyMem_Malloc`) and
 | |
| :c:data:`PYMEM_DOMAIN_OBJ` (ex: :c:func:`PyObject_Malloc`) domains.
 | |
| 
 | |
| The arena allocator uses the following functions:
 | |
| 
 | |
| * :c:func:`VirtualAlloc` and :c:func:`VirtualFree` on Windows,
 | |
| * :c:func:`mmap` and :c:func:`munmap` if available,
 | |
| * :c:func:`malloc` and :c:func:`free` otherwise.
 | |
| 
 | |
| Customize pymalloc Arena Allocator
 | |
| ----------------------------------
 | |
| 
 | |
| .. versionadded:: 3.4
 | |
| 
 | |
| .. c:type:: PyObjectArenaAllocator
 | |
| 
 | |
|    Structure used to describe an arena allocator. The structure has
 | |
|    three fields:
 | |
| 
 | |
|    +--------------------------------------------------+---------------------------------------+
 | |
|    | Field                                            | Meaning                               |
 | |
|    +==================================================+=======================================+
 | |
|    | ``void *ctx``                                    | user context passed as first argument |
 | |
|    +--------------------------------------------------+---------------------------------------+
 | |
|    | ``void* alloc(void *ctx, size_t size)``          | allocate an arena of size bytes       |
 | |
|    +--------------------------------------------------+---------------------------------------+
 | |
|    | ``void free(void *ctx, void *ptr, size_t size)`` | free an arena                         |
 | |
|    +--------------------------------------------------+---------------------------------------+
 | |
| 
 | |
| .. c:function:: void PyObject_GetArenaAllocator(PyObjectArenaAllocator *allocator)
 | |
| 
 | |
|    Get the arena allocator.
 | |
| 
 | |
| .. c:function:: void PyObject_SetArenaAllocator(PyObjectArenaAllocator *allocator)
 | |
| 
 | |
|    Set the arena allocator.
 | |
| 
 | |
| 
 | |
| tracemalloc C API
 | |
| =================
 | |
| 
 | |
| .. versionadded:: 3.7
 | |
| 
 | |
| .. c:function:: int PyTraceMalloc_Track(unsigned int domain, uintptr_t ptr, size_t size)
 | |
| 
 | |
|    Track an allocated memory block in the :mod:`tracemalloc` module.
 | |
| 
 | |
|    Return ``0`` on success, return ``-1`` on error (failed to allocate memory to
 | |
|    store the trace). Return ``-2`` if tracemalloc is disabled.
 | |
| 
 | |
|    If memory block is already tracked, update the existing trace.
 | |
| 
 | |
| .. c:function:: int PyTraceMalloc_Untrack(unsigned int domain, uintptr_t ptr)
 | |
| 
 | |
|    Untrack an allocated memory block in the :mod:`tracemalloc` module.
 | |
|    Do nothing if the block was not tracked.
 | |
| 
 | |
|    Return ``-2`` if tracemalloc is disabled, otherwise return ``0``.
 | |
| 
 | |
| 
 | |
| .. _memoryexamples:
 | |
| 
 | |
| Examples
 | |
| ========
 | |
| 
 | |
| Here is the example from section :ref:`memoryoverview`, rewritten so that the
 | |
| I/O buffer is allocated from the Python heap by using the first function set::
 | |
| 
 | |
|    PyObject *res;
 | |
|    char *buf = (char *) PyMem_Malloc(BUFSIZ); /* for I/O */
 | |
| 
 | |
|    if (buf == NULL)
 | |
|        return PyErr_NoMemory();
 | |
|    /* ...Do some I/O operation involving buf... */
 | |
|    res = PyBytes_FromString(buf);
 | |
|    PyMem_Free(buf); /* allocated with PyMem_Malloc */
 | |
|    return res;
 | |
| 
 | |
| The same code using the type-oriented function set::
 | |
| 
 | |
|    PyObject *res;
 | |
|    char *buf = PyMem_New(char, BUFSIZ); /* for I/O */
 | |
| 
 | |
|    if (buf == NULL)
 | |
|        return PyErr_NoMemory();
 | |
|    /* ...Do some I/O operation involving buf... */
 | |
|    res = PyBytes_FromString(buf);
 | |
|    PyMem_Del(buf); /* allocated with PyMem_New */
 | |
|    return res;
 | |
| 
 | |
| Note that in the two examples above, the buffer is always manipulated via
 | |
| functions belonging to the same set. Indeed, it is required to use the same
 | |
| memory API family for a given memory block, so that the risk of mixing different
 | |
| allocators is reduced to a minimum. The following code sequence contains two
 | |
| errors, one of which is labeled as *fatal* because it mixes two different
 | |
| allocators operating on different heaps. ::
 | |
| 
 | |
|    char *buf1 = PyMem_New(char, BUFSIZ);
 | |
|    char *buf2 = (char *) malloc(BUFSIZ);
 | |
|    char *buf3 = (char *) PyMem_Malloc(BUFSIZ);
 | |
|    ...
 | |
|    PyMem_Del(buf3);  /* Wrong -- should be PyMem_Free() */
 | |
|    free(buf2);       /* Right -- allocated via malloc() */
 | |
|    free(buf1);       /* Fatal -- should be PyMem_Del()  */
 | |
| 
 | |
| In addition to the functions aimed at handling raw memory blocks from the Python
 | |
| heap, objects in Python are allocated and released with :c:func:`PyObject_New`,
 | |
| :c:func:`PyObject_NewVar` and :c:func:`PyObject_Del`.
 | |
| 
 | |
| These will be explained in the next chapter on defining and implementing new
 | |
| object types in C.
 |