P0401R3
Providing size feedback in the Allocator interface

Published Proposal,

This version:
http://wg21.link/P0401R3
Authors:
(Google)
Audience:
LWG
Project:
ISO/IEC JTC1/SC22/WG21 14882: Programming Language — C++

Abstract

Utilize size feedback from Allocator to reduce spurious reallocations

1. Introduction

This is a library paper to describe how size feedback can be used with allocators:

2. Motivation

Consider code adding elements to vector:

std::vector<int> v = {1, 2, 3};
// Expected: v.capacity() == 3

// Add an additional element, triggering a reallocation.
v.push_back(4);

Many allocators only allocate in fixed-sized chunks of memory, rounding up requests. Our underlying heap allocator received a request for 12 bytes (3 * sizeof(int)) while constructing v. For several implementations, this request is turned into a 16 byte region.

2.1. Why not realloc

realloc poses several problems problems:

For fixed-size allocators it makes more sense, and is much simpler for containers to adapt to, if the allocator is able to over-allocate on the initial request and inform the caller how much memory was made available.

2.2. Why not ask the allocator for the size

We could also explore APIs that answer the question: "If I ask for N bytes, how many do I actually get?" [jemalloc] and [TCMalloc] call this nallocx.

See also [P0901R5]'s discussion "nallocx: not as awesome as it looks."

3. Proposal

Wording relative to [N4800].

We propose a free function to return the allocation size simultaneously with an allocation.

Amend [allocator.requirements]:

template<typename Pointer>
struct allocation_result {
  Pointer ptr;
  size_t count;
};

The class template allocation_result has the template parameters, data members, and special members specified above. It has no base classes or members other than those specified.

template<typename Allocator>
constexpr allocation_result<Allocator::pointer> allocate_at_least(Allocator& a, size_t n);

Table 34 - Cpp17Allocator Requirements

a.allocate_at_least(n) allocation_result<X::pointer> Returns allocation_result{ptr, m}. Memory is allocated for at least n objects of type T but objects are not constructed and returned as ptr. The actual number of objects m, such that m>=n, that memory has been allocated for is returned in the second value. allocate_at_least may throw an appropriate exception. [ Note: If n == 0, the value of ptr is unspecified. — end note ] {a.allocate(n), n}
a.deallocate(p,n) (not used) Preconditions: p shall be a value returned by an earlier call to allocate or allocate_at_least that has not been invalidated by an intervening call to deallocate. If this memory was obtained by a call to allocate, n shall match the value passed to allocate to obtain this memory. Otherwise, n shall satisfy capacity >= n >= requested where [p, capacity] = allocate_at_least(requested) was used to obtain this memory.

Throws: Nothing.

Amend [allocator.members]

Except for the destructor, member functions of the default allocator shall not introduce data races as a result of concurrent calls to those member functions from different threads. Calls to these functions that allocate or deallocate a particular unit of storage shall occur in a single total order, and each such deallocation call shall happen before the next allocation (if any) in this order.

[[nodiscard]] constexpr T* allocate(size_t n);
[[nodiscard]] constexpr allocation_result<T*> allocate_at_least(size_t n);
constexpr void deallocate(T* p, size_t n);

4. Design Considerations

4.1. allocate selection

There are multiple approaches here:

4.2. Size Return Value

In [Prague], LEWG discussed the return value. For compatibility with the existing allocator APIs, which work in units of objects rather than bytes, this proposal chooses to continue to return an integer number of objects.

Additionally, for types with non-trivial alignment requirements, we must allocate storage for objects, rather than bytes, as raw bytes do not convey the appropriate alignment needs to the allocator.

For example: In the std::vector<T> case, many implementations use 3 pointers for representing the state of the container (begin, end, and capacity). If we preserved the precise value returned by the underlying allocator, we may not be able to legally form the capacity pointer. For these implementations, replacing the capacity pointer with a capacity in bytes would be an ABI break.

4.3. deallocate changes

We now require flexibility on the size we pass to deallocate. For container types using this allocator interface, they are faced with the choice of storing both the original size request as well as the provided size (requiring additional auxillary storage), or being unable to reproduce one during the call to deallocate.

As the true size is expected to be useful for the capacity of a string or vector instance, the returned size is available without additional storage requirements. The original (requested) size is unavailable, so we relax the deallocate size parameter requirements for these allocations.

4.4. Interaction with polymorphic_allocator

std::pmr::memory_resource is implemented using virtual functions. Adding new methods, such as the proposed allocate API would require taking an ABI break.

4.5. Zero-Sized Requests

In Prague, LEWG discussed the behavior of allocate_at_least(allocator, 0). This maximizes implementation freedom.

5. Revision History

5.1. R2 → R3

Applied LEWG feedback from [Prague].

Poll: We prefer to return number of bytes.
SF F N A SA
0 0 6 6 5
POLL: Change the template parameter to sized_ptr_t to pointer type (to support fancy ptr).

Unanimous consent

POLL: We want to deduce the object type from the allocator (alloc_least_n [sic]).
SF F N A SA
4 8 1 0 0
POLL: We like the design, please revise and do initial wording review (with Pablo, and David Stone) send to LWG (tentatively Ready).
SF F N A SA
6 12 0 0 0

5.2. R1 → R2

Applied LEWG feedback from [Cologne].

Poll: We want a feature like this.
SF F N A SA
2 9 2 0 0
Poll: Name choice
5 allocate_with_size
4 overallocate
2 allocate_with_oversubscribe
6 allocate_oversize
14 allocate_at_least

Poll: Prefer a struct rather than a requirement of structured bindings.

SF F N A SA
2 8 0 2 1

References

Informative References

[Cologne]
Cologne Meeting Minutes. 2019-07-17. URL: http://wiki.edg.com/bin/view/Wg21cologne2019/P0401
[JEMALLOC]
jemalloc(3) - Linux man page. URL: http://jemalloc.net/jemalloc.3.html
[LWG3373]
{to,from}_chars_result and format_to_n_result need the 'we really mean what we say' wording. URL: https://cplusplus.github.io/LWG/lwg-active.html#3373
[N3495]
Ariane van der Steldt. inplace realloc. 7 December 2012. URL: https://wg21.link/n3495
[N4800]
Working Draft, Standard for Programming Language C++. 2019-01-21. URL: http://www.open-std.org/jtc1/sc22/wg21/docs/papers/2019/n4800.pdf
[P0894R1]
realloc for C++. 2019-01-18. URL: http://www.open-std.org/jtc1/sc22/wg21/docs/papers/2019/p0894r1.md
[P0901R5]
Size feedback in operator new. 2019-10-03. URL: http://www.open-std.org/jtc1/sc22/wg21/docs/papers/2019/p0901r5.html
[P0901R5-Review]
P0901R5 LEWG Review Prague. 2020-02-10. URL: http://wiki.edg.com/bin/view/Wg21prague/P0901
[Prague]
P0401R2 LEWG Review Prague. 2020-02-14. URL: http://wiki.edg.com/bin/view/Wg21prague/P0401
[TCMalloc]
TCMalloc. URL: https://github.com/google/tcmalloc