Resource Management
Layer 1: Language Mechanics
Core Question
What ownership pattern does this resource need?
Before choosing a smart pointer, understand:
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Is ownership single or shared?
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Is access single-threaded or multi-threaded?
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Are there potential cycles?
Error → Design Question
Error Don't Just Say Ask Instead
"Need heap allocation" "Use Box" Why can't this be on stack?
Rc memory leak "Use Weak" Is the cycle necessary in design?
RefCell panic "Use try_borrow" Is runtime check the right approach?
Arc overhead complaint "Accept it" Is multi-thread access actually needed?
Thinking Prompt
Before choosing a smart pointer:
What's the ownership model?
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Single owner → Box or owned value
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Shared ownership → Rc/Arc
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Weak reference → Weak
What's the thread context?
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Single-thread → Rc, Cell, RefCell
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Multi-thread → Arc, Mutex, RwLock
Are there cycles?
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Yes → One direction must be Weak
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No → Regular Rc/Arc is fine
Trace Up ↑
When pointer choice is unclear, trace to design:
"Should I use Arc or Rc?" ↑ Ask: Is this data shared across threads? ↑ Check: m07-concurrency (thread model) ↑ Check: domain-* (performance constraints)
Situation Trace To Question
Rc vs Arc confusion m07-concurrency What's the concurrency model?
RefCell panics m03-mutability Is interior mutability right here?
Memory leaks m12-lifecycle Where should cleanup happen?
Trace Down ↓
From design to implementation:
"Need single-owner heap data" ↓ Use: Box<T>
"Need shared immutable data (single-thread)" ↓ Use: Rc<T>
"Need shared immutable data (multi-thread)" ↓ Use: Arc<T>
"Need to break reference cycle" ↓ Use: Weak<T>
"Need shared mutable data" ↓ Single-thread: Rc<RefCell<T>> ↓ Multi-thread: Arc<Mutex<T>> or Arc<RwLock<T>>
Quick Reference
Type Ownership Thread-Safe Use When
Box<T>
Single Yes Heap allocation, recursive types
Rc<T>
Shared No Single-thread shared ownership
Arc<T>
Shared Yes Multi-thread shared ownership
Weak<T>
Weak ref Same as Rc/Arc Break reference cycles
Cell<T>
Single No Interior mutability (Copy types)
RefCell<T>
Single No Interior mutability (runtime check)
Decision Flowchart
Need heap allocation? ├─ Yes → Single owner? │ ├─ Yes → Box<T> │ └─ No → Multi-thread? │ ├─ Yes → Arc<T> │ └─ No → Rc<T> └─ No → Stack allocation (default)
Have reference cycles? ├─ Yes → Use Weak for one direction └─ No → Regular Rc/Arc
Need interior mutability? ├─ Yes → Thread-safe needed? │ ├─ Yes → Mutex<T> or RwLock<T> │ └─ No → T: Copy? → Cell<T> : RefCell<T> └─ No → Use &mut T
Common Errors
Problem Cause Fix
Rc cycle leak Mutual strong refs Use Weak for one direction
RefCell panic Borrow conflict at runtime Use try_borrow or restructure
Arc overhead Atomic ops in hot path Consider Rc if single-threaded
Box unnecessary Data fits on stack Remove Box
Anti-Patterns
Anti-Pattern Why Bad Better
Arc everywhere Unnecessary atomic overhead Use Rc for single-thread
RefCell everywhere Runtime panics Design clear ownership
Box for small types Unnecessary allocation Stack allocation
Ignore Weak for cycles Memory leaks Design parent-child with Weak
Related Skills
When See
Ownership errors m01-ownership
Interior mutability details m03-mutability
Multi-thread context m07-concurrency
Resource lifecycle m12-lifecycle