Learning Zig: explicit allocators as parameters change how you think about memory

arpit_bhayani · x · 2026-10-30

The author shares first impressions of learning Zig: there are no hidden allocations—if a function needs heap memory, it must take an allocator as a parameter, so the signature tells you exactly who allocates and the caller decides where memory comes from.

Highlights:

Arena allocator: pass one in for requests with many small temporary allocations; everything is freed in one shot when the arena is destroyed, and callees don't care
defer / errdefer: cleanup sits right next to allocation, freeing on scope exit or only on error, so you don't track every exit path
Testing allocator: tracks every allocation and fails the test if anything leaks—leak detection becomes a normal test failure instead of a production surprise

The author concludes Zig treats memory as a first-class citizen, akin to how Go treated errors.

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Learning Zig: explicit allocators as parameters change how you think about memory

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