How Does C Allocate Memory for Vectors on the Stack and Heap?

Memory Allocation for Vectors in C

When declaring a vector in C , such as vector vect, the vector's header information (e.g., size, capacity) is allocated on the stack, while the actual data elements are allocated dynamically on the heap using a default allocator. This means that the elements in the vector are stored in memory outside the scope of the vector object.

In contrast, when using a pointer to a vector, such as vector *vect = new vector, both the vector header and the data elements are allocated on the heap. This allows the vector to be passed as a pointer argument to functions or managed dynamically.

For vectors containing pointers, such as vector vect, the vector header is allocated on the stack, while each pointer in the vector is allocated on the heap separately. However, the objects pointed to by these pointers can be stored either on the stack or on the heap, depending on how they were allocated.

In general, STL containers allocate memory for their elements dynamically on the heap, even if the container itself is allocated on the stack. This allows for flexible memory management and efficient use of memory, as the container can grow or shrink as needed.

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