https://github.com/SergeyMakeev/smmalloc

Blazing fast memory allocator designed for video games
https://github.com/SergeyMakeev/smmalloc

concurency cpp game-development memory-allocator multithreading

Last synced: about 2 months ago
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Blazing fast memory allocator designed for video games

• Host: GitHub
• URL: https://github.com/SergeyMakeev/smmalloc
• Owner: SergeyMakeev
• License: mit
• Created: 2018-01-12T12:05:37.000Z (over 6 years ago)
• Default Branch: master
• Last Pushed: 2023-10-13T17:32:07.000Z (11 months ago)
• Last Synced: 2024-06-07T00:34:54.684Z (4 months ago)
• Topics: concurency, cpp, game-development, memory-allocator, multithreading
• Language: C++
• Size: 1.66 MB
• Stars: 283
• Watchers: 16
• Forks: 27
• Open Issues: 4
• Metadata Files:
  • Readme: README.md
  • License: LICENSE

Awesome Lists containing this project

• awesome-blazingly-fast - smmalloc - Blazing fast memory allocator designed for video games (C++)

README

        
# smmalloc 

[![Actions Status](https://github.com/SergeyMakeev/smmalloc/workflows/build/badge.svg)](https://github.com/SergeyMakeev/smmalloc/actions) [![Build status](https://ci.appveyor.com/api/projects/status/8c3oqiywaa8firfy?svg=true)](https://ci.appveyor.com/project/SergeyMakeev/smmalloc/) [![codecov](https://codecov.io/gh/SergeyMakeev/smmalloc/branch/master/graph/badge.svg?token=DKANC80IO5)](https://codecov.io/gh/SergeyMakeev/smmalloc) ![MIT](https://img.shields.io/badge/license-MIT-blue.svg)

## About

smmalloc is a fast and efficient "proxy" allocator designed to handle many small allocations/deallocations in heavy multithreaded scenarios.

The allocator created for using in applications where the performance is critical such as video games.

Designed to speed up the typical memory allocation pattern in C++ such as many small allocations and deletions.

This is a proxy allocator means that smmalloc handles only specific allocation sizes and pass-through all other allocations to generic heap allocator.

## Commercial games using smmalloc

- Warface (PS4, X1, Nintendo Switch)

## Features

* Near zero size overhead for handled allocations (allocator does not store any per-allocation meta information)

* Blazing fast (~40 cycles per operation) when allocator thread cache is used (configurable)

* Very simple to integrate on any platform. Just make your current allocator as fallback allocator and let the smmalloc handle specific allocations and speed up your application.

* Highly scalable in multithread environment.

## Performance

Here is an example of performance comparison for several different allocators.  

Platform: Windows 10, Intel Core i7-2600

Threads | #1 | #2 | #3 | #4 | #5

--- | --- | --- | --- |--- |---

crt | 23853865 | 15410410 | 15993655 | 14124607 | 14636381

rpmalloc | 75866414 | 52689298 | 52606215 |46058909 | 38706739

hoard | 65922032 | 46605339 | 42874516 | 34404618 | 27629651

ltalloc | 62525965 | 52315981 | 41634992 | 33557726 | 27333887

smmalloc | 92615384 | 70584046 | 66352324 | 47087501 | 38303161

smmalloc (no thread cache) | 49295774 | 25991465 | 11342809 | 8615216 | 6455889

dlmalloc + mutex | 31313394 | 5858632 | 3824636 | 3354672 | 2135141

dlmalloc | 106304079 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0

![Performance comparison](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/SergeyMakeev/smmalloc/master/Images/i7_results.png)

Here is an example of performance comparison for several different allocators.  

Platform: Playstation 4

Threads | #1 | #2 | #3 | #4

--- | --- | --- | --- |--- 

mspace | 4741379 | 956729 | 457264 | 366920

crt | 4444444 | 853385 | 419009 | 332095

ltalloc | 28571429 | 25290698 | 19248174 | 14683637

smmalloc | 36065574 | 29333333 | 25202412 | 21868691

smmalloc (no thread cache)  | 22916667 | 8527132 | 5631815 | 4198497

dlmalloc + mutex | 8058608 | 1848623 | 579845 | 564604

dlmalloc | 35483871 | 0 | 0 | 0

![Performance comparison](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/SergeyMakeev/smmalloc/master/Images/ps4_results.png)

## Usage

**_sm_allocator_create** - create allocator instance  

**_sm_allocator_destroy** - destroy allocator instance  

**_sm_allocator_thread_cache_create** - create thread cache for current thread  

**_sm_allocator_thread_cache_destroy** - destroy thread cache for current thread  

**_sm_malloc** - allocate aligned memory block  

**_sm_free** - free memory block  

**_sm_realloc** - reallocate memory block  

**_sm_msize** - get usable memory size  

Tiny code example

```cpp

// create allocator to handle 16, 32, 48 and 64 allocations (4 buckets, 16Mb each) 

sm_allocator space = _sm_allocator_create(4, (16 * 1024 * 1024));

// allocate 19 bytes with 16 bytes alignment

void* p = _sm_malloc(space, 19, 16);

// free memory

_sm_free(space, p)

// destroy allocator

_sm_allocator_destroy(space);

```