https://github.com/jrfonseca/memtrail
A LD_PRELOAD based memory profiler and leak detector for Linux
https://github.com/jrfonseca/memtrail
c-plus-plus leak-detection memory profiler
Last synced: 7 months ago
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A LD_PRELOAD based memory profiler and leak detector for Linux
- Host: GitHub
- URL: https://github.com/jrfonseca/memtrail
- Owner: jrfonseca
- Created: 2011-11-24T09:26:40.000Z (about 14 years ago)
- Default Branch: main
- Last Pushed: 2025-03-30T09:23:36.000Z (10 months ago)
- Last Synced: 2025-06-06T09:08:34.032Z (7 months ago)
- Topics: c-plus-plus, leak-detection, memory, profiler
- Language: C++
- Homepage:
- Size: 231 KB
- Stars: 85
- Watchers: 7
- Forks: 14
- Open Issues: 0
-
Metadata Files:
- Readme: README.md
Awesome Lists containing this project
README
About
=====
**memtrail** is a `LD_PRELOAD` based memory profiler and leak detector for Linux.
There are already many other open-source memory debugging/profiling tools for
Linux, several of which are listed on the [Links section below](#links), and
the most powerful arguably being Valgrind. However, I needed a tool that could
quantify leaks and identify memory hogs, for long-running and CPU intensive
workloads, which simply run too slow under Valgrind's dynamic binary
instrumentation, hence this project.
[](https://github.com/jrfonseca/memtrail/actions/workflows/build.yml)
Features
--------
* Very little runtime overhead
* Will immediately output maxmimum memory allocated and total leaked memory at
the end of program execution.
* Text trees show callstacks for memory consuption or leaks
* Can produce graphs showing flow of memory consumption or leaks
Requirements
============
* Linux
* Python 3
* gzip
* binutils' addr2line
* [libunwind](http://www.nongnu.org/libunwind/) (bundled as a git submodule)
* [gprof2dot](https://github.com/jrfonseca/gprof2dot) for graph output
Build
=====
make
Usage
=====
Run the application you want to debug as
memtrail record /path/to/application [args...]
and it will generate a record `memtrail.data` in the current
directory.
View results with
memtrail report --show-maximum
It will produce something like
maximum: 8,960B
-> 45.71% (4,096B, 2x): calloc
| -> 45.71% (4,096B, 2x): test_calloc() [sample.cpp:82]
| -> 45.71% (4,096B, 2x): main [sample.cpp:242]
| -> 45.71% (4,096B, 2x): __libc_start_call_main [sysdeps/nptl/libc_start_call_main.h:58]
| -> 45.71% (4,096B, 2x): call_init [csu/libc-start.c:128]
| -> 45.71% (4,096B, 2x): _start
|
-> 31.43% (2,816B, 4x): malloc
| -> 11.43% (1,024B, 1x): test_malloc() [sample.cpp:57]
| | -> 11.43% (1,024B, 1x): main [sample.cpp:241]
| | -> 11.43% (1,024B, 1x): __libc_start_call_main [sysdeps/nptl/libc_start_call_main.h:58]
| | -> 11.43% (1,024B, 1x): call_init [csu/libc-start.c:128]
| | -> 11.43% (1,024B, 1x): _start
| |
| -> 11.43% (1,024B, 1x): test_realloc() [sample.cpp:103]
| | -> 11.43% (1,024B, 1x): main [sample.cpp:243]
| | -> 11.43% (1,024B, 1x): __libc_start_call_main [sysdeps/nptl/libc_start_call_main.h:58]
| | -> 11.43% (1,024B, 1x): call_init [csu/libc-start.c:128]
| | -> 11.43% (1,024B, 1x): _start
| |
| -> 8.57% (768B, 2x): TestGlobal::TestGlobal() [sample.cpp:212]
| -> 8.57% (768B, 2x): __static_initialization_and_destruction_0(int, int) [sample.cpp:225]
| -> 8.57% (768B, 2x): _GLOBAL__sub_I_leaked [sample.cpp:252]
| -> 8.57% (768B, 2x): call_init [csu/libc-start.c:144]
| -> 8.57% (768B, 2x): _start
|
-> 22.86% (2,048B, 1x): realloc
-> 22.86% (2,048B, 1x): test_realloc() [sample.cpp:106]
-> 22.86% (2,048B, 1x): main [sample.cpp:243]
-> 22.86% (2,048B, 1x): __libc_start_call_main [sysdeps/nptl/libc_start_call_main.h:58]
-> 22.86% (2,048B, 1x): call_init [csu/libc-start.c:128]
-> 22.86% (2,048B, 1x): _start
memtrail.maximum.json written
You can then use `gprof2dot.py` to obtain graphs highlighting memory leaks or
consumption:
gprof2dot.py -f json memtrail.maximum.json | dot -Tpng -o memtrail.maximum.png
It is also possible to trigger memtrail to take snapshots at specific points by
calling `memtrail_snapshot` from your code:
#include "memtrail.h"
...
memtrail_snapshot();
Links
=====
Memory debugging:
* [Valgrind's Memcheck](http://valgrind.org/docs/manual/mc-manual.html)
* [bcc memleak](https://github.com/iovisor/bcc)
* [Google Sanitizers](https://github.com/google/sanitizers)
* [duma](http://duma.sourceforge.net/)
* [LeakTracer](http://www.andreasen.org/LeakTracer/)
* [glibc mtrace](http://www.gnu.org/s/hello/manual/libc/Allocation-Debugging.html)
* [Hans-Boehm garbage collector](http://www.hpl.hp.com/personal/Hans_Boehm/gc/leak.html)
* [Leaky](http://mxr.mozilla.org/mozilla/source/tools/leaky/leaky.html)
* [failmalloc](http://www.nongnu.org/failmalloc/)
* [dmalloc](http://dmalloc.com/)
Memory profiling:
* [Valgrind's Massif](http://valgrind.org/docs/manual/ms-manual.html)
* [Memory Frame Graphs](https://www.brendangregg.com/FlameGraphs/memoryflamegraphs.html)
* [Heaptrack](https://github.com/KDE/heaptrack)
* [Google Performance Tools' HEAPPROFILE](https://github.com/gperftools/gperftools)
* [MemProf](http://www.secretlabs.de/projects/memprof/)
Further links:
* [cpp links](https://github.com/MattPD/cpplinks/blob/master/performance.tools.md#memory)