psutil 7.2.0 introduces C heap introspection APIs for detecting memory leaks in Python C extensions
By
grodola
The bagel they save for the regulars. Don't skim, savour.
Summary
This article discusses the challenge of detecting memory leaks in Python C extension modules, which are harder to diagnose than standard Python memory leaks because C-level malloc() calls bypass Python's pymalloc allocator and don't show up in traditional metrics like RSS or VMS. It introduces psutil 7.2.0's new APIs for C heap introspection, designed to help developers identify these hidden memory leaks in C extensions.
Key quotes
· 5 pulledMemory leaks in Python are usually straightforward to diagnose.
But leaks inside C extension modules are another story.
Traditional memory metrics such as RSS and VMS fail to reveal them because Python's memory allocator (pymalloc) sits above the platform's native heap.
If something in an extension calls malloc() without a corresponding free(), that memory often won't show up in RSS / VMS. You have a leak, and you don't know.
psutil 7.2.0 introduces two new APIs for C heap introspection, designed specifically to...
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