Memory-Efficient C Structs: A Deep Dive
2025-07-31
This blog post explores techniques for optimizing C structs to minimize memory usage. Using a `Monster` struct as an example, the author demonstrates several optimization strategies. These include reordering members to reduce padding, removing redundant fields (e.g., inferring `is_alive` from `health`), using smaller integer types (like `uint8_t`, `uint16_t`), employing bitfields for booleans, and replacing strings with enums for monster names. These optimizations shrink the `Monster` struct from 96 bytes to a mere 20 bytes, significantly improving memory efficiency. The post also discusses trade-offs and potential issues like integer overflows.
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