Allocators and container performance
At the heart of every container’s efficiency lies its memory management strategy, and for std::vector
, allocators play a crucial role. While memory allocation might seem straightforward, the nuances in allocator design can bring various performance implications.
Why allocators matter in performance
Before we can harness the potential of allocators, we need to understand why they matter. Memory allocation isn’t a one-size-fits-all operation. Depending on the application’s specific needs, the frequency of allocations, the size of memory blocks, and the lifetime of these allocations can vary drastically.
- Speed of allocation and deallocation: The time it takes to allocate and deallocate memory can be a significant factor. Some allocators might optimize for speed at the expense of memory overhead, while others might do the opposite.
- Memory overhead: The overhead involves the allocator’s extra memory for bookkeeping...