Linux Memory Allocation: malloc, brk, mmap, and RSS
Use a reproducible program, /proc, and strace to inspect how glibc malloc uses brk, mmap, and madvise, and why RSS may stay high after free.
7 practical articles on Systems / Linux, covering setup, troubleshooting, and production decisions.
Use a reproducible program, /proc, and strace to inspect how glibc malloc uses brk, mmap, and madvise, and why RSS may stay high after free.
Use a reproducible C program and GDB session to inspect SysV AMD64 arguments, call/ret, stack frames, unwinding, PIE addresses, and optimization.
A walkthrough into how Linux dynamically links shared libraries at runtime — PIC, GOT, PLT, lazy binding, gdb tracing, and the real cost of -fPIC.
Build and inspect a reproducible Linux binary to understand Stack Canaries, FORTIFY, NX, Stack Clash protection, ASLR, PIE, RELRO, and CET.
Use a reproducible glibc malloc experiment to separate real leaks, allocator caching, fragmentation, and RSS retention across Arenas, Chunks, Bins, and Tcache.
Debug Linux cgroup V1 and V2 with cpu.stat, memory.events, PSI, and Kubernetes resource settings to explain CPU throttling, reclaim, and OOM kills.
All posts in reverse chronological order.
Use a reproducible program, /proc, and strace to inspect how glibc malloc uses brk, mmap, and madvise, and why RSS may stay high after free.
Use a reproducible C program and GDB session to inspect SysV AMD64 arguments, call/ret, stack frames, unwinding, PIE addresses, and optimization.
A walkthrough into how Linux dynamically links shared libraries at runtime — PIC, GOT, PLT, lazy binding, gdb tracing, and the real cost of -fPIC.
Build and inspect a reproducible Linux binary to understand Stack Canaries, FORTIFY, NX, Stack Clash protection, ASLR, PIE, RELRO, and CET.
Use a reproducible glibc malloc experiment to separate real leaks, allocator caching, fragmentation, and RSS retention across Arenas, Chunks, Bins, and Tcache.
Debug Linux cgroup V1 and V2 with cpu.stat, memory.events, PSI, and Kubernetes resource settings to explain CPU throttling, reclaim, and OOM kills.
Understand ELF files from sections and segments to relocations and dynamic linking, with concrete examples for debugging Linux binaries and loader issues.