Bin's Tech Cabin

May 25, 2023 · Fundamentals

Unveiling Linux Slab Cache: How the Kernel Frees Memory Step‑by‑Step

This article walks through the Linux kernel's slab cache memory‑freeing path, explaining the kmem_cache_free API, validation steps, fast‑path and slow‑path reclamation, CPU‑local and NUMA‑node handling, and the final destruction of slab caches with detailed code examples.