Does Go's `newPoint()` Allocate a Struct on the Stack or Heap?

Returning a Pointer to a Local Struct

In Go, code snippets like the following may raise concerns for programmers with C backgrounds:

type point struct {
  x, y int
}

func newPoint() *point {
  return &point{10, 20}
}

The question arises: Is newPoint allocating a new point on the stack or heap?

Pointer Escape Analysis

The answer lies in Go's pointer escape analysis. It examines the function and determines whether the pointer variable escapes the local stack. If it does, the object is allocated on the heap, ensuring memory safety throughout the program.

In this code sample, the pointer variable escapes the local stack because it is returned to the caller. Therefore, Go will allocate the point struct on the heap to guarantee memory safety.

If the pointer did not escape the local function, the compiler would be free to allocate it on the stack. However, the allocation location is not guaranteed, as it depends on the precision of the pointer escape analysis.

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