Interview Question

What is malloc?

malloc allocates uninitialized storage or returns a null pointer.

💡 Concept ✅ Quick Revision ⚙ C

Answer

malloc allocates a requested number of bytes and returns a suitably aligned pointer to the allocated space. • The allocated bytes have indeterminate values. • It returns a null pointer when allocation fails. • The returned allocation must be released with free when no longer needed.

💡 C Example

int *values = malloc(5 * sizeof *values); if (values == NULL) { return 1; } free(values);

⚡ Quick Revision

malloc allocates uninitialized storage or returns a null pointer.