The Lost Art of Structure Packing
20 days ago
- #data-structures
- #memory-optimization
- #C-programming
- Technique for reducing memory footprint in C-like structures by manual repacking.
- Useful for memory-constrained embedded systems, OS kernels, and large data sets.
- Self-alignment of data types in memory for faster access on modern processors.
- Structure padding and slop explained with examples.
- Techniques for structure packing to minimize memory usage.
- Impact of field ordering on structure size and cache locality.
- Considerations for readability and performance in structure design.
- Use of bitfields and unions for further memory optimization.
- Compiler-specific pragmas and attributes for controlling alignment.
- Tools and methods for analyzing structure padding and alignment.
- Exceptions and variations in alignment rules across different architectures and languages.
- Comparison of alignment rules in C, C++, Go, Rust, Java, and Swift.