OSS + ELC EU 2026

While C is a spartan language by design and, as such, doesn't offer any automatic memory management, the linux kernel over the years has acquired several mechanisms that attempt to make it easier for developers to keep track of resources and control their lifetime.

These mechanisms use C compiler extensions for scope-based memory management, count object references, or rely on control flow provided by the lower-level subsystem code. They can also be an arbitrary mixture of multiple approaches.

As the C compiler by definition is unable to enforce ownership or reference counting and scope correctness, the users of these helpers must still leverage them correctly and respect the API contract.

The kernel has struggled with object lifetime issues for decades now and, while there are legitimate issues with the design of certain subsystems, some of these issues resulted from incorrect use of the kernel resource management APIs. A good example of this is scheduling devres actions for devices that will never be bound to drivers.

This talk will present different resource management mechanisms in the kernel along with examples of how to use them correctly and what mistakes to avoid.