Owning Heap Buffers

Sometimes you want direct control over a block of heap memory. Owning a buffer means you allocate it and decide when it goes away. 🛠️

A buffer is a contiguous chunk of heap memory holding many elements in a row, like the storage behind a list of numbers.

To own a buffer you first allocate it, asking the system for enough heap memory to hold the elements you need.

Allocation gives you a pointer to the buffer's first element. From there you can reach every slot by stepping through the memory.

With the pointer, you can store values into each slot by index, filling the buffer with the data your program needs.

Reading works the same way: pick an index and the pointer leads you straight to that element in the buffer.

Memory you allocate by hand is yours to release. When done, you free the buffer so the system can reuse that space.

Every allocation needs a matching free. Forgetting to release a buffer causes a memory leak that slowly wastes your program's memory.

Standard types like List own their buffers and free them automatically, which is why most code never allocates by hand.

When you own a buffer, you own its whole lifetime: creating it, using it safely, and tearing it down at exactly the right moment.

Even if a type usually manages memory for you, knowing how owned buffers work helps you write the fastest, most controlled code.

Let us recall your duty after allocating a buffer.

Owning a buffer means you allocate, use, and free heap memory yourself. Standard types like List handle this lifetime for you. 🎯