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How does Rust handle memory safety without a garbage collector?
Asked on Jan 07, 2026
Answer
Rust ensures memory safety without a garbage collector by using a strict ownership model enforced at compile time. This model is based on the concepts of ownership, borrowing, and lifetimes, which prevent data races and ensure that memory is accessed safely and efficiently.
Example Concept: Rust's ownership system assigns a single owner to each piece of data, and when the owner goes out of scope, the data is automatically deallocated. Borrowing allows references to data without transferring ownership, and lifetimes ensure that these references are valid for the duration of their use. This compile-time checking eliminates the need for a garbage collector while preventing common memory errors like use-after-free and double-free.
Additional Comment:
- Rust's borrow checker enforces these rules, ensuring memory safety at compile time.
- Ownership rules help in writing concurrent code without data races.
- Rust's approach can lead to more predictable performance compared to garbage-collected languages.
- Understanding ownership and borrowing is crucial for effective Rust programming.
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