The provided sources discuss Hazard Pointers, a crucial technique for safe memory reclamation in lock-free concurrent programming, particularly within C++. They explain how hazard pointers address the challenge of safely freeing memory without causing use-after-free bugs or data corruption, a problem that traditional methods like atomic reference counting and epoch-based reclamation (EBR) often struggle with due to performance overhead or blocking behavior. The text details the conceptual framework and protocol of hazard pointers, highlighting their non-blocking progress guarantees compared to other approaches. Furthermore, the sources emphasize the significance of their standardization in C++26, providing an overview of the new API, usage examples, and best practices for effective implementation in high-performance systems.
