C - Memory Model of C Program

Definition

The memory model of a C program describes how a program is organized in memory during execution.

Components

• Text Segment – Stores compiled program instructions

• Data Segment – Stores initialized global and static variables

• BSS Segment – Stores uninitialized global and static variables

• Heap – Dynamic memory allocation during runtime

• Stack – Function calls, local variables, return addresses

Importance

Understanding the memory model helps in:

• Efficient memory usage

• Avoiding memory leaks

• Debugging segmentation fault