Region-based memory management

In <a href="/facts/Computer_science/lN3pEyPz">computer science</a>, region-based memory management is a type of <a href="/facts/Memory_management/vthLkUpz">memory management</a> in which each allocated object is assigned to a region. A region, also called a partition, subpool, zone, arena, area, or memory context, is a collection of allocated objects that can be efficiently reallocated or deallocated all at once. Memory allocators using region-based managements are often called area allocators, and when they work by only "bumping" a single pointer, as bump allocators.
Like <a href="/facts/Stack_allocation/Wem3dQa6">stack allocation</a>, regions facilitate allocation and deallocation of memory with low overhead; but they are more flexible, allowing objects to live longer than the <a href="/facts/Stack_frame/1sMt713v">stack frame</a> in which they were allocated. In typical implementations, all objects in a region are allocated in a single contiguous range of memory addresses, similarly to how stack frames are typically allocated.
In <a href="/facts/OS%2f360_and_successors/nQbdNbx6">OS/360 and successors</a>, the concept applies at two levels; each job runs within a contiguous partition or region. Storage allocation requests specify a subpool, and the application can free an entire subpool. Storage for a subpool is allocated from the region or partition in blocks that are a multiple of 2 Kib or 4 KiB that generally are not contiguous.

Region-based memory management open-in-new

Region-based memory management