Understanding smart pointers and ownership

In this section, the reader will learn how to use smart pointers to increase the safety, reliability, and stability of their program, while also adhering to the C++ Core Guidelines.

The std::unique_ptr{} pointer

It should be clear by now that C++ provides an extensive set of APIs for allocating and deallocating dynamic memory. It should also be clear that whether you are using malloc()/free() or new()/delete(), errors are not only possible but likely in large applications. For example, you might forget to release memory back to the heap:

#include <iostream>

int main()
{
    auto ptr = new int;
    std::cout << ptr << '\n';
}

// > g++ -std=c++17 scratchpad...