How are malloc and free implemented?

Question

I want to implement my own dynamic memory management system in order to add new features that help to manage memory in C++.

I use Windows (XP) and Linux (Ubuntu). Wh

Answer 1

On linux, malloc and free are not system calls. malloc/free obtains memory from the kernel by extending and shrinking(if it can) the data segment using the brk system calls as well as obtaining anonymous memory with mmap - and malloc manages memory within those regions. Some basic information any many great references can be found here