C stdlib malloc() Function
Example
Allocate memory and read its contents:
// Allocate memory for a number of items
int numItems = 15;
int *myArray = malloc(numItems * sizeof(int));
// Display the contents of the memory
for(int i = 0; i < numItems; i++) {
printf("%d ", myArray[i]);
}
// Free the memory
free(myArray);
myArray = NULL;
Definition and Usage
The malloc() function allocates memory and returns a pointer to it. Unlike calloc() the memory is not initialized, so the values are unpredictable.
The malloc() function is defined in the <stdlib.h> header file.
To learn more about memory allocation, see our C Memory Management tutorial.
Syntax
malloc(size_t size);The size_t data type is a non-negative integer.
Parameter Values
| Parameter | Description |
|---|---|
| size | Specifies the number of bytes of memory to allocate. |
Technical Details
| Returns: | A void * pointer to the newly allocated block of memory. |
|---|
