Memory debugger

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A memory debugger is a programming tool for finding memory leaks and buffer overflows. These are due to bugs related to the allocation and deallocation of dynamic memory. Programs written in languages that have garbage collection, such as managed code, might also need memory debuggers, e.g. for memory leaks due to "living" references in collections.

Tools

This is a list of tools useful for memory debugging. A profiler can be used in conjunction with a memory debugger.

• AQtime
• Bcheck
• BoundsChecker
• Daikon
• Debug_new
• dmalloc
• Duma
• Electric Fence
• IBM Rational Purify
• Insure++
• Intel Parallel Inspector
• libcwd
• libumem
• MemCheck
• Memwatch
• mpatrol
• mtrace
• IBM OLIVER (CICS interactive test/debug)
• Sun Studio Runtime Checking (RTC)
• SPlint
• TotalView
• Valgrind
• WinDBG

See also

Software Testing portal

• Software testing
• Software engineering
• Computer programming
• Core dump
• Profiler
• Debugger

References

• Michael C. Daconta: C++ Pointers and Dynamic Memory Management, John Wiley & Sons, ISBN 0-471-04998-0
• Andrew Koenig: C Traps and Pitfalls, Addison-Wesley, ISBN 0-201-17928-8

External links

• "Hunting Memory Bugs" by Ivan Skytte Jørgensen
• "Comparison of Free Memory Checkers" by Jean-Philippe Martin^{[broken citation]}