Custom Memory Allocator

Custom Memory Allocator in C

This project implements a custom memory allocator in C, mimicking the functionality of malloc, free, calloc, and realloc. It’s designed to simulate dynamic memory allocation using a fixed-size heap and linked list for memory block management — no external libraries or OS-dependent memory functions used.

Features

• Manual malloc, free, calloc, realloc implementation
• First Fit and Best Fit allocation strategies (user selectable)
• Block splitting and coalescing
• Heap layout visualization with debug print
• Memory usage statistics (used vs free)
• Fully modular C code with header and source separation

📁 File Structure

.
├── allocator.h      # Public interface for allocator functions
├── allocator.c      # Core memory management logic
├── main.c           # CLI interface and test runner
├── README.md        # Project documentation

How to Compile & Run

gcc main.c allocator.c -o allocator
./allocator

Topics Covered

• Low-level C programming
• Memory and pointer management
• Data structures (linked lists)
• Embedded system fundamentals
• Debugging and testing