Reminiscence fragmentation happens when reminiscence is allotted in a approach that creates small, unused areas between allotted blocks. This may result in a state of affairs the place there’s not sufficient contiguous reminiscence to fulfill a brand new allocation request, though there could also be sufficient whole reminiscence accessible. Avoiding reminiscence fragmentation is vital for guaranteeing that reminiscence is used effectively and that functions can run easily.
There are a number of methods that can be utilized to keep away from reminiscence fragmentation. One frequent method is to make use of a reminiscence allocator that helps compaction. A compactor is a program that may transfer allotted blocks of reminiscence round with a view to create bigger contiguous blocks. This will help to cut back fragmentation and enhance reminiscence utilization.