Menu
Are the value types defined inside a reference type stored on the heap or on the stack?
836
Value types are stored directly where the computation goes. Each variable of value type has its own copy of data and operations on one do not affect the other. Reference types are stored somewhere else and we have a reference pointing to that place in memory.
stack : stores local variables. heap : dynamic memory for programmer to allocate. data : stores global variables, separated into initialized and uninitialized.
Reference-type variables are actually stored in the memory twice, once in the stack and once in the heap. Within the stack there is something we call a reference, a link to the heap where an actual object can be found. Note: For example, in C ++, there's a huge difference between pointers and references.
Value Types are stored on Stack Memory. Variables allocated on the stack are stored directly to the memory and access to this memory is very fast, and its allocation happens during compilation.
The only variables stored on the stack are local variables for a function. For reference types, the reference is stored on the stack while the object it refers to is stored on the heap. For value types, the object itself is stored on the stack. Note that local variables that can escape from the local function (such as via a closure) are stored in a separate data structure on the heap, including any value types that may be included.
In other words, since reference types are always stored on the heap, anything they contain (even value types) is also stored on the heap.
156
If you love us? You can donate to us via Paypal or buy me a coffee so we can maintain and grow! Thank you!
Donate Us With
