ezalloc

A simple and complete C garbage collector, with a group-based allocation system (but also not!). Call ez_alloc()/ez_calloc() instead of malloc()/calloc() to allocate memory. Then, forget about your pointers and just call ez_cleanup() at the end of your program to free everything. No leaks, no stress. Have a nice day!

Features

• 42 École Norm-compliant
• Simple API: Drop-in replacement for malloc/calloc
• Automatic cleanup: One function call frees all tracked memory
• Group support: Organize allocations into named groups for selective cleanup
• Error handling: Proper error reporting with set_error and errno

Basic Usage (ez_* functions)

#include "ezalloc.h"

int main(void)
{
    // Allocate memory - it's automatically tracked
    int *numbers = ez_alloc(sizeof(int) * 10);
    char *text = ez_calloc(sizeof(char), 100);  // Zeroed memory
    
    // Use your memory as normal
    numbers[0] = 42;
    strcpy(text, "Hello, ezalloc!");
    
    // Add external pointers to tracking
    void *external = malloc(1024);
    ez_add(external);
    
    // Free specific pointer if needed
    ez_release(numbers);
    
    // At the end, free everything at once
    ez_cleanup();
    
    return 0;
}

Group-based Usage (ezg_* functions)

Organize allocations into named groups for more control:

#include "ezgalloc.h"

int main(void)
{
    // Create groups
    ezg_group_create("config");
    ezg_group_create("temp");
    
    // Allocate in specific groups
    char *config = ezg_alloc("config", 1024);
    int *temp_data = ezg_alloc("temp", sizeof(int) * 100);
    
    // Release all memory in a specific group
    ezg_group_release("temp");
    
    // Or delete the group entirely
    ezg_group_delete("config");
    
    // Cleanup all groups
    ezg_cleanup();
    
    return 0;
}

API Reference

Basic Functions (ezalloc.h)

• void *ez_alloc(size_t size) - Allocate and track memory
• void *ez_calloc(size_t size, size_t count) - Allocate zeroed memory
• void *ez_add(void *ptr) - Track existing pointer
• void ez_release(void *ptr) - Free specific pointer
• void ez_cleanup(void) - Free all tracked memory
• char *ez_get_error(void) - Returns a string describing the last error encountered.

Group Functions (ezgalloc.h)

• int ezg_group_create(char *group) - Create a named group
• void *ezg_alloc(char *group, size_t size) - Allocate in group
• void *ezg_calloc(char *group, size_t size, size_t count) - Allocate zeroed in group
• void *ezg_add(char *group, void *ptr) - Add pointer to group
• void ezg_release(char *group, void *ptr) - Free specific pointer in group
• void ezg_group_release(char *group) - Free all memory in group
• void ezg_group_delete(char *group) - Delete group and free its memory
• void ezg_cleanup(void) - Free all groups
• char *ezg_get_error(void) - Returns a string describing the last error encountered.

Building

make        # Build library
make clean  # Clean build artifacts
make re     # Rebuild from scratch

This creates libezalloc.a which you can link with your project:

gcc your_program.c -L. -lezalloc -o your_program

Testing

Run the included test suite:

make run-test

Notice:

• You must include only one of the two API headers
• The library is not thread-safe

Example (from the original repository)

Output: