c++ - Is it safe to realloc memory allocated with new?

Question

From what is written here, new allocates in free store while malloc uses heap and the two terms often mean the same thing.

From what is written here, realloc may move the memory block to a new location. If free store and heap are two different memory spaces, does it mean any problem then?

Specifically I'd like to know if it is safe to use

int* data = new int[3];
// ...
int* mydata = (int*)realloc(data,6*sizeof(int));

If not, is there any other way to realloc memory allocated with new safely? I could allocate new area and memcpy the contents, but from what I understand realloc may use the same area if possible.

Answer 1

You can only realloc that which has been allocated via malloc (or family, like calloc).

That's because the underlying data structures that keep track of free and used areas of memory, can be quite different.

It's likely but by no means guaranteed that C++ new and C malloc use the same underlying allocator, in which case realloc could work for both. But formally that's in UB-land. And in practice it's just needlessly risky.

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C++ does not offer functionality corresponding to realloc.

The closest is the automatic reallocation of (the internal buffers of) containers like std::vector.

The C++ containers suffer from being designed in a way that excludes use of realloc.

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Instead of the presented code

int* data = new int[3];
//...
int* mydata = (int*)realloc(data,6*sizeof(int));

… do this:

vector<int> data( 3 );
//...
data.resize( 6 );

However, if you absolutely need the general efficiency of realloc, and if you have to accept new for the original allocation, then your only recourse for efficiency is to use compiler-specific means, knowledge that realloc is safe with this compiler.

Otherwise, if you absolutely need the general efficiency of realloc but is not forced to accept new, then you can use malloc and realloc. Using smart pointers then lets you get much of the same safety as with C++ containers.