Resource Management
Layer 1: Language Mechanics
Core Question
What ownership pattern does this resource need?
Before choosing a smart pointer, understand:
- Is ownership single or shared?
- Is access single-threaded or multi-threaded?
- Are there potential cycles?
Error → Design Question
Thinking Prompt
Before choosing a smart pointer:
-
What's the ownership model?
- Single owner → Box or owned value
- Shared ownership → Rc/Arc
- Weak reference → Weak
-
What's the thread context?
- Single-thread → Rc, Cell, RefCell
- Multi-thread → Arc, Mutex, RwLock
-
Are there cycles?
- Yes → One direction must be Weak
- No → Regular Rc/Arc is fine
Trace Up ↑
When pointer choice is unclear, trace to design:
Trace Down ↓
From design to implementation:


