A memory leak is a process in which a program or application persistently retains a computer's primary memory. It occurs when the resident memory program does not return or release allocated memory space, even after execution, resulting in slower or unresponsive system behavior.
A memory leak is also known as a space leak.
A memory leak is considered a failure or bug within the application/program that holds it. Memory leakage may be intended or unintended by the application/program, which may retain the application in memory to execute operations or remain frozen in an unrecoverable state. The resident program also may source/leak additional memory space without releasing the previously used space, leading to the exhaustion of memory resources and a poorly performing or frozen system.
A memory leak may be mitigated through specialized memory management software or by adding garbage collection functions to the application source code.
Synonyms
Space Leak
Share this Term
Tech moves fast! Stay ahead of the curve with Techopedia!
Join nearly 200,000 subscribers who receive actionable tech insights from Techopedia.
Latest Articles
By: Kaushik Pal | Contributor
By: Ariella Brown | Contributor
By: Mike Haas | Chief Revenue Officer
By: Brad Rudisail | Contributor
