Python 3.6.5 Documentation >  Memory Management

Memory Management
*****************

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 she regularly manipulates 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.

To avoid memory corruption, extension writers should never try to
operate on Python objects with the functions exported by the C
library: "malloc()", "calloc()", "realloc()" and "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 string 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.

See also: The "PYTHONMALLOC" environment variable can be used to
configure the memory allocators used by Python.

The "PYTHONMALLOCSTATS" environment variable can be used to print
statistics of the pymalloc memory allocator every time a new
pymalloc object arena is created, and on shutdown.

Raw Memory Interface
====================

The following function sets are wrappers to the system allocator.
These functions are thread-safe, the *GIL* does not need to be held.

The default raw memory block allocator uses the following functions:
"malloc()", "calloc()", "realloc()" and "free()"; call "malloc(1)" (or
"calloc(1, 1)") when requesting zero bytes.

New in version 3.4.

void* PyMem_RawMalloc(size_t n)

Allocates *n* bytes and returns a pointer of 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.

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 "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.

New in version 3.5.

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 "PyMem_RawMalloc()", "PyMem_RawRealloc()" or
"PyMem_RawCalloc()".

If the request fails, "PyMem_RawRealloc()" returns *NULL* and *p*
remains a valid pointer to the previous memory area.

void PyMem_RawFree(void *p)

Frees the memory block pointed to by *p*, which must have been
returned by a previous call to "PyMem_RawMalloc()",
"PyMem_RawRealloc()" or "PyMem_RawCalloc()". Otherwise, or if
"PyMem_RawFree(p)" has been called before, undefined behavior
occurs.

If *p* is *NULL*, no operation is performed.

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.

By default, these functions use pymalloc memory allocator.

Warning: The *GIL* must be held when using these functions.

Changed in version 3.6: The default allocator is now pymalloc instead
of system "malloc()".

void* PyMem_Malloc(size_t n)

Allocates *n* bytes and returns a pointer of 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.

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 "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.

New in version 3.5.

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 "PyMem_Malloc()", "PyMem_Realloc()" or "PyMem_Calloc()".

If the request fails, "PyMem_Realloc()" returns *NULL* and *p*
remains a valid pointer to the previous memory area.

void PyMem_Free(void *p)

Frees the memory block pointed to by *p*, which must have been
returned by a previous call to "PyMem_Malloc()", "PyMem_Realloc()"
or "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.

TYPE* PyMem_New(TYPE, size_t n)

Same as "PyMem_Malloc()", but allocates "(n * sizeof(TYPE))" bytes
of memory. Returns a pointer cast to "TYPE*". The memory will not
have been initialized in any way.

TYPE* PyMem_Resize(void *p, TYPE, size_t n)

Same as "PyMem_Realloc()", but the memory block is resized to "(n *
sizeof(TYPE))" bytes. Returns a pointer cast to "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.

void PyMem_Del(void *p)

Same as "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.

By default, these functions use pymalloc memory allocator.

Warning: The *GIL* must be held when using these functions.

void* PyObject_Malloc(size_t n)

Allocates *n* bytes and returns a pointer of 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.

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 "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.

New in version 3.5.

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 "PyObject_Malloc()", "PyObject_Realloc()" or
"PyObject_Calloc()".

If the request fails, "PyObject_Realloc()" returns *NULL* and *p*
remains a valid pointer to the previous memory area.

void PyObject_Free(void *p)

Frees the memory block pointed to by *p*, which must have been
returned by a previous call to "PyObject_Malloc()",
"PyObject_Realloc()" or "PyObject_Calloc()". Otherwise, or if
"PyObject_Free(p)" has been called before, undefined behavior
occurs.

If *p* is *NULL*, no operation is performed.

Customize Memory Allocators
===========================

New in version 3.4.

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 |
+------------------------------------------------------------+-----------------------------------------+

Changed in version 3.5: The "PyMemAllocator" structure was renamed
to "PyMemAllocatorEx" and a new "calloc" field was added.

PyMemAllocatorDomain

Enum used to identify an allocator domain. Domains:

PYMEM_DOMAIN_RAW

Functions:

* "PyMem_RawMalloc()"

* "PyMem_RawRealloc()"

* "PyMem_RawCalloc()"

* "PyMem_RawFree()"

PYMEM_DOMAIN_MEM

Functions:

* "PyMem_Malloc()",

* "PyMem_Realloc()"

* "PyMem_Calloc()"

* "PyMem_Free()"

PYMEM_DOMAIN_OBJ

Functions:

* "PyObject_Malloc()"

* "PyObject_Realloc()"

* "PyObject_Calloc()"

* "PyObject_Free()"

void PyMem_GetAllocator(PyMemAllocatorDomain domain, PyMemAllocatorEx *allocator)

Get the memory block allocator of the specified domain.

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 "PYMEM_DOMAIN_RAW" domain, the allocator must be thread-
safe: the *GIL* is not held when the allocator is called.

If the new allocator is not a hook (does not call the previous
allocator), the "PyMem_SetupDebugHooks()" function must be called
to reinstall the debug hooks on top on the new allocator.

void PyMem_SetupDebugHooks(void)

Setup hooks to detect bugs in the Python memory allocator
functions.

Newly allocated memory is filled with the byte "0xCB", freed memory
is filled with the byte "0xDB".

Runtime checks:

* Detect API violations, ex: "PyObject_Free()" called on a buffer
allocated by "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 *GIL* is held when allocator functions of
"PYMEM_DOMAIN_OBJ" (ex: "PyObject_Malloc()") and
"PYMEM_DOMAIN_MEM" (ex: "PyMem_Malloc()") domains are called

On error, the debug hooks use the "tracemalloc" module to get the
traceback where a memory block was allocated. The traceback is only
displayed if "tracemalloc" is tracing Python memory allocations and
the memory block was traced.

These hooks are installed by default if Python is compiled in debug
mode. The "PYTHONMALLOC" environment variable can be used to
install debug hooks on a Python compiled in release mode.

Changed in version 3.6: This function now also works on Python
compiled in release mode. On error, the debug hooks now use
"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 "PYMEM_DOMAIN_OBJ" and "PYMEM_DOMAIN_MEM" domains are
called.

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 KB. It falls back to
"PyMem_RawMalloc()" and "PyMem_RawRealloc()" for allocations larger
than 512 bytes.

*pymalloc* is the default allocator of the "PYMEM_DOMAIN_MEM" (ex:
"PyMem_Malloc()") and "PYMEM_DOMAIN_OBJ" (ex: "PyObject_Malloc()")
domains.

The arena allocator uses the following functions:

* "VirtualAlloc()" and "VirtualFree()" on Windows,

* "mmap()" and "munmap()" if available,

* "malloc()" and "free()" otherwise.

Customize pymalloc Arena Allocator
----------------------------------

New in version 3.4.

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, size_t size, void *ptr)" | free an arena |
+----------------------------------------------------+-----------------------------------------+

PyObject_GetArenaAllocator(PyObjectArenaAllocator *allocator)

Get the arena allocator.

PyObject_SetArenaAllocator(PyObjectArenaAllocator *allocator)

Set the arena allocator.

Examples
========

Here is the example from section Overview, 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
"PyObject_New()", "PyObject_NewVar()" and "PyObject_Del()".

These will be explained in the next chapter on defining and
implementing new object types in C.