Implement memory-safe programming with RAII, ownership, smart pointers, and resource management across Rust, C++, and C. Use when writing safe systems code, managing resources, or preventing memory bugs.

Memory Safety Patterns Cross language patterns for memory safe programming including RAII, ownership, smart pointers, and resource management. When to Use This Skill Writing memory safe systems code Managing resources (files, sockets, memory) Preventing use after free and leaks Implementing RAII patterns Choosing between languages for safety Debugging memory issues Core Concepts 1. Memory Bug Categories Bug Type Description Prevention Use after free Access freed memory Ownership, RAII Double free Free same memory twice Smart pointers Memory leak Never free memory RAII, GC Buffer overflow Write past buffer end Bounds checking Dangling pointer Pointer to freed memory Lifetime tracking Data race Concurrent unsynchronized access Ownership, Sync 2. Safety Spectrum Detailed patterns and worked examples Detailed pattern documentation lives in references/details.md . Read that file when the navigation tier above is insufficient. Best Practices Do's Prefer RAII Tie resource lifetime to scope Use smart pointers Avoid raw pointers in C++ Understand ownership Know who owns what Check bounds Use safe access methods Use tools AddressSanitizer, Valgrind, Miri Don'ts Don't use raw pointers Unless interfacing with C Don't return local references Dangling pointer Don't ignore compiler warnings They catch bugs Don't use unsafe carelessly In Rust, minimize it Don't assume thread safety Be explicit Debugging Tools

memory-safety-patterns