What are common pitfalls or gotchas with memory leaks and circular refs (weak refs)?

When working with Perl, developers need to be aware of potential pitfalls related to memory leaks and circular references, especially when leveraging weak references. Below are some common issues and their solutions.

Perl, memory leaks, circular references, weak references, programming, software development

This guide highlights common pitfalls in Perl regarding memory management, offering insights into avoiding memory leaks and efficiently using weak references.


        <![CDATA[
        # Example of circular references causing memory leaks
        package Node;
        use Scalar::Util qw(weaken);

        sub new {
            my $class = shift;
            my $self = {
                name => shift,
                child => undef,
            };
            bless $self, $class;
            return $self;
        }

        sub set_child {
            my ($self, $child) = @_;
            $self->{child} = $child;
            weaken($self->{child}) if defined $self->{child};  # Use weak reference
        }

        # Usage
        my $parent = Node->new("Parent");
        my $child = Node->new("Child");
        $parent->set_child($child);  # Avoid circular reference

        # Example of memory leak using circular references
        my $leaky_parent = Node->new("Leaky Parent");
        my $leaky_child = Node->new("Leaky Child");
        $leaky_parent->set_child($leaky_child);
        $leaky_child->set_child($leaky_parent);  # This will create a circular reference

        # Circular references can lead to memory leaks if not handled properly.
        ]]>

What are common pitfalls or gotchas with memory leaks and circular refs (weak refs)?

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What are common pitfalls or gotchas with memory leaks and circular refs (weak refs)?

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