How Can I Use Boehm\'s Garbage Collector with the C Standard Library?

Using Boehm Garbage Collector with C Standard Library

In order to develop a multi-threaded C application that utilizes Boehm's conservative garbage collector, there are several approaches to consider:

1. Redefining Operator ::new:

One option is to redefine the global operator ::new as Boehm's version. However, this approach may interfere with other library components and is generally not recommended.

2. Using Explicit Allocators:

Alternatively, you can utilize Boehm's gc_allocator template with the STL collection classes. An explicit allocator can specify the memory manager to be used for allocation, ensuring that both the internal data and individual elements of STL containers are GC-allocated.

3. Creating Custom Collections:

For a more tailored solution, create custom collections based on the STL template classes, but use gc_allocator as the allocator template argument. This allows you to allocate the internal arrays of STL containers, such as std::string, using Boehm's GC_malloc_atomic function.

4. Considerations for std::string:

To GC-allocate the internal data of std::string, you can define your own string using the basic_string template with gc_allocator. By overriding the operator [], you can access the internal char buffer and allocate it using GC_malloc_atomic.

5. Potential Issues with g :

While Boehm's GC has improved stability over time, it may still not be recommended for use in a complex application compiled by g . However, the provided example (myvec.cc), which utilizes the gc_allocator, compiles successfully without using plain malloc or ::operator new.

Additional Notes:

The C 11 standard includes support for garbage collection through the and headers. However, these features are not yet fully implemented in widely used compilers such as GCC or Clang.

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