Understanding the memory layout of Rust programs
In the previous section, we discussed the fundamentals of memory management in modern OSes. In this section, we will discuss how a running Rust program is laid out in memory by the operating system, and the characteristics of the different parts of the virtual memory are used by Rust programs.
Rust program memory layout
In order to understand how Rust achieves the combination of low-memory footprint, memory safety, and performance, it is necessary to understand how Rust programs are laid out in memory and how they can be controlled programmatically.
A low-memory footprint depends on the efficient management of memory allocations, the copying of values, and deallocations. Memory safety deals with ensuring that there is no unsafe access to values stored in memory. Performance depends on understanding the implications of storing a value in the stack versus the heap versus the static data segment. Where Rust shines is that all these...
