Managed Heap

What Does Managed Heap Mean?

A managed heap is a structure for handling address spaces created by processes at runtime. These address spaces, when handled in certain ways within an operating system, are called a managed heap. Microsoft’s .NET framework uses a managed heap model as part of its automatic memory management process.

Techopedia Explains Managed Heap

The managed heap is contrasted with an unmanaged heap, where developers may need to personally assign memory and otherwise handle address spaces. In a managed heap, other parts of automatic memory management include a specific algorithm where a garbage collector will assess parts of the address space to determine what parts are being used and what parts can be released and re-allocated.

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Margaret Rouse

Technology expert

Margaret is an award-winning writer and educator known for her ability to explain complex technical topics to a non-technical business audience. Over the past twenty years, her IT definitions have been published by Que in an encyclopedia of technology terms and cited in articles in the New York Times, Time Magazine, USA Today, ZDNet, PC Magazine, and Discovery Magazine. She joined Techopedia in 2011. Margaret’s idea of a fun day is to help IT and business professionals to learn to speak each other’s highly specialized languages.

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