Custom Memory Allocator: Building a Simple Heap Manager in C
P. Tapan Datta, D. Lalith, D. Abhiram, S. Tanoj, P. Syamala Rao · 2025
The project would be to develop an efficient Heap Memory Manager in the C programming language for an Operating System. The memory will dynamically allocate and deallocate in minimizing fragmentation. It implemented core malloc, calloc, and free functionalities with the management of memory and back allocation methods like first-fit and best-fit. The techniques that prevent fragmentation are merging and splitting when the space allocated is freed. Stress tests and performance testing are performed to check memory management at peak allocation rates and to detect memory leaks. This project gives an idea of how low-level memory operations work in C, how it affects OS design, and the need for efficient memory handling. The results validate the effectiveness of the manager in decreasing fragmentation and dealing with multiple concurrent operations, proving helpful in improving dynamic memory management in operating systems.