Go Memory Layout
1. Apa Itu Memory Layout?
Setiap variabel di Go (dan bahasa pemrograman lain) disimpan di RAM. Bayangkan RAM seperti rak besar berisi kotak-kotak kecil (byte) yang berjejer.
Contoh:
Alamat memori (hex): 0x00 | 0x01 | 0x02 | 0x03 | 0x04 | ...
Isi tiap kotak (byte): ?? ?? ?? ?? ?? ...
Nah, ketika kamu punya struct seperti ini:
type SimpleStruct struct {
a int8
b int16
c int32
d int64
}
Go harus menyimpan semua field ini berurutan di memori. Tapi, CPU punya aturan alignment yang membuat tidak semua data bisa langsung ditempel rapat satu sama lain.
2. Alignment dan Padding: Kenapa Ada "Ruang Kosong"?
Alignment
Setiap tipe data di Go (dan bahasa lain seperti C) punya alignment requirement β yaitu bahwa data harus dimulai di alamat memori yang merupakan kelipatan tertentu.
int8
1 byte
1 byte
int16
2 byte
2 byte
int32
4 byte
4 byte
int64
8 byte
8 byte
Artinya:
int8
boleh mulai di mana saja.int16
harus mulai di alamat yang kelipatan 2 (misalnya 0, 2, 4, 6, dst).int32
harus mulai di alamat yang kelipatan 4.int64
harus mulai di alamat yang kelipatan 8.
Kalau posisi field berikutnya tidak sesuai alignment-nya, Go akan menyisipkan padding byte kosong supaya tetap sejajar dengan aturan CPU.
3. Visualisasi Step-by-Step Memory Layout
Kita lihat layout struct berikut di sistem 64-bit:
type SimpleStruct struct {
a int8 // 1 byte
b int16 // 2 byte
c int32 // 4 byte
d int64 // 8 byte
}
Field a
(int8)
a
(int8)Ukuran: 1 byte
Alignment: 1 byte
Diletakkan mulai di alamat
0
.
Byte 0: [a] = int8
Field b
(int16)
b
(int16)Ukuran: 2 byte
Alignment: 2 byte
Field sebelumnya (a) berakhir di byte ke-1 β byte berikutnya adalah
1
, bukan kelipatan 2 β harus ada padding 1 byte.
Byte 0: [a] (1 byte)
Byte 1: [padding]
Byte 2-3: [b] = int16
Field c
(int32)
c
(int32)Ukuran: 4 byte
Alignment: 4 byte
Field
b
berakhir di byte3
β byte berikutnya adalah4
, sudah kelipatan 4, jadi tidak perlu padding.
Byte 4-7: [c] = int32
Field d
(int64)
d
(int64)Ukuran: 8 byte
Alignment: 8 byte
Field
c
berakhir di byte7
, jadi byte berikutnya8
, sudah kelipatan 8, tidak perlu padding di sini.
Byte 8-15: [d] = int64
Kenapa Masih Ada Padding di Akhir?
Struct di Go juga disesuaikan agar ukuran total struct adalah kelipatan dari alignment terbesar di dalam struct (di sini: 8 byte). Tujuannya agar ketika array of struct dibuat, setiap struct tetap sejajar secara optimal di memori.
Sekarang total byte kita baru sampai byte 15
.
Supaya kelipatan 8, Go menambahkan 8 byte padding di akhir β jadi total 24 byte.
4. Total Size Perhitungan
a (int8)
1
padding (setelah a)
1
b (int16)
2
c (int32)
4
d (int64)
8
padding (akhir struct)
8
Total
24 byte
5. Kenapa Bukan 15 Byte?
Kalau dihitung mentah:
1 (a) + 2 (b) + 4 (c) + 8 (d) = 15
Tapi komputer tidak boleh menyimpan sembarangan di memori tanpa memperhatikan alignment. Kalau kamu βmaksaβ, CPU harus melakukan operasi baca/tulis byte demi byte (bukan per word) β ini membuatnya lebih lambat bahkan bisa crash di beberapa arsitektur.
Jadi, Go menambahkan padding otomatis supaya semuanya sejajar, efisien, dan aman bagi CPU.
6. Visualisasi Akhir (64-bit)
Memory Layout (byte offset):
| Offset | Size | Field | Note |
|---------|------|------------|--------------------|
| 0 | 1 | a (int8) | |
| 1 | 1 | padding | align b (int16) |
| 2-3 | 2 | b (int16) | |
| 4-7 | 4 | c (int32) | |
| 8-15 | 8 | d (int64) | |
| 16-23 | 8 | padding | struct alignment |
| **Total** | **24** | **bytes** | |
7. Tips: Cara Mengecek Sendiri di Go
Kamu bisa lihat ukuran dan offset tiap field pakai unsafe
:
package main
import (
"fmt"
"unsafe"
)
type SimpleStruct struct {
a int8
b int16
c int32
d int64
}
func main() {
var s SimpleStruct
fmt.Println("Size:", unsafe.Sizeof(s))
fmt.Println("Offset a:", unsafe.Offsetof(s.a))
fmt.Println("Offset b:", unsafe.Offsetof(s.b))
fmt.Println("Offset c:", unsafe.Offsetof(s.c))
fmt.Println("Offset d:", unsafe.Offsetof(s.d))
}
Outputnya akan kira-kira:
Size: 24
Offset a: 0
Offset b: 2
Offset c: 4
Offset d: 8
8. Bonus: Mengurangi Ukuran Struct
Kalau kamu urutkan field dari yang besar ke kecil, padding bisa berkurang:
type CompactStruct struct {
d int64
c int32
b int16
a int8
}
Ini bisa membuat total hanya 16 byte, bukan 24, karena padding di tengah bisa dihindari.
Ringkasan
Memory layout
Urutan field struct di memori
Alignment
Data harus dimulai di alamat kelipatan ukuran tertentu
Padding
Byte kosong untuk menjaga alignment
Ukuran struct
Dibulatkan ke kelipatan alignment terbesar
Optimasi
Urutkan field dari besar ke kecil agar lebih rapat
Tutorial Lengkap Memory Layout di Go
Dari Dasar Hingga Advanced dengan Praktik Kode
Daftar Isi
1. Pengenalan Memory Layout
1.1 Apa itu Memory Layout?
Memory layout adalah cara kompiler Go mengatur dan menempatkan data dalam memori. Pemahaman tentang memory layout sangat penting untuk:
Optimisasi penggunaan memori - Menghemat RAM dengan mengurangi padding
Peningkatan performa - CPU lebih efisien mengakses data yang aligned dengan benar
Keamanan concurrent programming - Penggunaan atomic operations yang tepat
Debugging - Memahami ukuran sebenarnya dari struct
1.2 Konsep Fundamental
Alignment (Penjajaran)
Alamat memori tempat data dimulai harus merupakan kelipatan dari nilai tertentu (N). Nilai N ini disebut alignment guarantee.
Padding (Isian)
Byte-byte tambahan yang disisipkan oleh kompiler untuk memenuhi aturan alignment.
Size (Ukuran)
Total memori yang digunakan oleh sebuah tipe data, termasuk padding.
1.3 Kode Dasar: Memeriksa Size dan Alignment
package main
import (
"fmt"
"unsafe"
)
func main() {
fmt.Println("=== UKURAN TIPE DASAR ===")
// Tipe integer
fmt.Printf("int8: %d byte\n", unsafe.Sizeof(int8(0)))
fmt.Printf("int16: %d byte\n", unsafe.Sizeof(int16(0)))
fmt.Printf("int32: %d byte\n", unsafe.Sizeof(int32(0)))
fmt.Printf("int64: %d byte\n", unsafe.Sizeof(int64(0)))
// Tipe unsigned integer
fmt.Printf("uint8: %d byte\n", unsafe.Sizeof(uint8(0)))
fmt.Printf("uint16: %d byte\n", unsafe.Sizeof(uint16(0)))
fmt.Printf("uint32: %d byte\n", unsafe.Sizeof(uint32(0)))
fmt.Printf("uint64: %d byte\n", unsafe.Sizeof(uint64(0)))
// Tipe floating point
fmt.Printf("float32: %d byte\n", unsafe.Sizeof(float32(0)))
fmt.Printf("float64: %d byte\n", unsafe.Sizeof(float64(0)))
// Tipe complex
fmt.Printf("complex64: %d byte\n", unsafe.Sizeof(complex64(0)))
fmt.Printf("complex128: %d byte\n", unsafe.Sizeof(complex128(0)))
// Tipe boolean
fmt.Printf("bool: %d byte\n", unsafe.Sizeof(bool(true)))
fmt.Println("\n=== ALIGNMENT TIPE DASAR ===")
fmt.Printf("int8: %d byte\n", unsafe.Alignof(int8(0)))
fmt.Printf("int16: %d byte\n", unsafe.Alignof(int16(0)))
fmt.Printf("int32: %d byte\n", unsafe.Alignof(int32(0)))
fmt.Printf("int64: %d byte\n", unsafe.Alignof(int64(0)))
fmt.Printf("float32: %d byte\n", unsafe.Alignof(float32(0)))
fmt.Printf("float64: %d byte\n", unsafe.Alignof(float64(0)))
}
Output (pada arsitektur 64-bit):
=== UKURAN TIPE DASAR ===
int8: 1 byte
int16: 2 byte
int32: 4 byte
int64: 8 byte
uint8: 1 byte
uint16: 2 byte
uint32: 4 byte
uint64: 8 byte
float32: 4 byte
float64: 8 byte
complex64: 8 byte
complex128: 16 byte
bool: 1 byte
=== ALIGNMENT TIPE DASAR ===
int8: 1 byte
int16: 2 byte
int32: 4 byte
int64: 8 byte
float32: 4 byte
float64: 8 byte
2. Type Alignment Guarantees
2.1 Aturan Alignment di Go
Go memiliki aturan alignment yang berbeda untuk setiap tipe data:
bool
, int8
, uint8
1
int16
, uint16
2
int32
, uint32
, float32
4
int64
, uint64
, float64
, complex64
8 (64-bit) / 4 (32-bit)
complex128
8
pointer
, string
, slice
, map
, channel
8 (64-bit) / 4 (32-bit)
array
Sama dengan elemen array
struct
Alignment terbesar dari field-fieldnya
2.2 General vs Field Alignment
Ada dua jenis alignment guarantee:
General Alignment: Digunakan untuk variable declaration, array elements, dll.
Field Alignment: Digunakan ketika tipe tersebut menjadi field dari struct.
Pada compiler standar Go (gc), kedua nilai ini selalu sama. Namun pada gccgo, bisa berbeda.
2.3 Kode: Memeriksa Alignment Detail
package main
import (
"fmt"
"reflect"
"unsafe"
)
type SimpleStruct struct {
a int8
b int16
c int32
d int64
}
func main() {
var s SimpleStruct
fmt.Println("=== STRUCT ALIGNMENT ===")
fmt.Printf("Struct alignment: %d bytes\n", unsafe.Alignof(s))
fmt.Printf("Struct size: %d bytes\n\n", unsafe.Sizeof(s))
// Menggunakan unsafe package
fmt.Println("=== FIELD ANALYSIS (unsafe) ===")
fmt.Printf("Field a: offset=%d, size=%d, align=%d\n",
unsafe.Offsetof(s.a), unsafe.Sizeof(s.a), unsafe.Alignof(s.a))
fmt.Printf("Field b: offset=%d, size=%d, align=%d\n",
unsafe.Offsetof(s.b), unsafe.Sizeof(s.b), unsafe.Alignof(s.b))
fmt.Printf("Field c: offset=%d, size=%d, align=%d\n",
unsafe.Offsetof(s.c), unsafe.Sizeof(s.c), unsafe.Alignof(s.c))
fmt.Printf("Field d: offset=%d, size=%d, align=%d\n",
unsafe.Offsetof(s.d), unsafe.Sizeof(s.d), unsafe.Alignof(s.d))
// Menggunakan reflect package
fmt.Println("\n=== FIELD ANALYSIS (reflect) ===")
t := reflect.TypeOf(s)
fmt.Printf("Struct align: %d\n", t.Align())
fmt.Printf("Struct field align: %d\n", t.FieldAlign())
for i := 0; i < t.NumField(); i++ {
field := t.Field(i)
fmt.Printf("Field %s: offset=%d, size=%d\n",
field.Name, field.Offset, field.Type.Size())
}
}
Output:
=== STRUCT ALIGNMENT ===
Struct alignment: 8 bytes
Struct size: 24 bytes
=== FIELD ANALYSIS (unsafe) ===
Field a: offset=0, size=1, align=1
Field b: offset=2, size=2, align=2
Field c: offset=4, size=4, align=4
Field d: offset=8, size=8, align=8
=== FIELD ANALYSIS (reflect) ===
Struct align: 8
Struct field align: 8
Field a: offset=0, size=1
Field b: offset=2, size=2
Field c: offset=4, size=4
Field d: offset=8, size=8
2.4 Visualisasi Memory Layout
Memory Address Layout untuk SimpleStruct (64-bit):
Byte 0: [a] int8 (1 byte)
Byte 1: [padding] (1 byte)
Byte 2-3: [b] int16 (2 bytes)
Byte 4-7: [c] int32 (4 bytes)
Byte 8-15: [d] int64 (8 bytes)
Byte 16-23: [padding] (8 bytes) - untuk memenuhi alignment 8
Total: 24 bytes (bukan 15 bytes = 1+2+4+8)
3. Type Sizes dan Structure Padding
3.1 Mengapa Structure Padding Penting?
Padding memastikan setiap field memulai pada alamat yang sesuai dengan alignment requirement-nya. Urutan field sangat mempengaruhi ukuran total struct!
3.2 Contoh: Dampak Urutan Field
package main
import (
"fmt"
"unsafe"
)
// Layout BURUK - banyak padding
type BadLayout struct {
a int8 // 1 byte
// 7 bytes padding (untuk alignment int64)
b int64 // 8 bytes
c int16 // 2 bytes
// 6 bytes padding (untuk alignment struct = 8)
}
// Layout BAIK - minimal padding
type GoodLayout struct {
b int64 // 8 bytes
c int16 // 2 bytes
a int8 // 1 byte
// 5 bytes padding (untuk alignment struct = 8)
}
// Layout OPTIMAL - field sejenis dikelompokkan
type OptimalLayout struct {
b int64 // 8 bytes
c int16 // 2 bytes
a int8 // 1 byte
// 5 bytes padding
}
func main() {
fmt.Println("=== PERBANDINGAN LAYOUT ===")
fmt.Printf("BadLayout size: %d bytes\n", unsafe.Sizeof(BadLayout{}))
fmt.Printf("GoodLayout size: %d bytes\n", unsafe.Sizeof(GoodLayout{}))
fmt.Printf("OptimalLayout size: %d bytes\n", unsafe.Sizeof(OptimalLayout{}))
// Detail BadLayout
var bad BadLayout
fmt.Println("\n--- BadLayout Detail (24 bytes) ---")
fmt.Printf("Field a: offset=%2d, size=%d, align=%d\n",
unsafe.Offsetof(bad.a), unsafe.Sizeof(bad.a), unsafe.Alignof(bad.a))
fmt.Printf("Field b: offset=%2d, size=%d, align=%d\n",
unsafe.Offsetof(bad.b), unsafe.Sizeof(bad.b), unsafe.Alignof(bad.b))
fmt.Printf("Field c: offset=%2d, size=%d, align=%d\n",
unsafe.Offsetof(bad.c), unsafe.Sizeof(bad.c), unsafe.Alignof(bad.c))
actualSize := unsafe.Sizeof(bad.a) + unsafe.Sizeof(bad.b) + unsafe.Sizeof(bad.c)
padding := unsafe.Sizeof(bad) - actualSize
fmt.Printf("Actual fields: %d bytes, Padding: %d bytes (%.1f%%)\n",
actualSize, padding, float64(padding)/float64(unsafe.Sizeof(bad))*100)
// Detail GoodLayout
var good GoodLayout
fmt.Println("\n--- GoodLayout Detail (16 bytes) ---")
fmt.Printf("Field b: offset=%2d, size=%d, align=%d\n",
unsafe.Offsetof(good.b), unsafe.Sizeof(good.b), unsafe.Alignof(good.b))
fmt.Printf("Field c: offset=%2d, size=%d, align=%d\n",
unsafe.Offsetof(good.c), unsafe.Sizeof(good.c), unsafe.Alignof(good.c))
fmt.Printf("Field a: offset=%2d, size=%d, align=%d\n",
unsafe.Offsetof(good.a), unsafe.Sizeof(good.a), unsafe.Alignof(good.a))
actualSize = unsafe.Sizeof(good.a) + unsafe.Sizeof(good.b) + unsafe.Sizeof(good.c)
padding = unsafe.Sizeof(good) - actualSize
fmt.Printf("Actual fields: %d bytes, Padding: %d bytes (%.1f%%)\n",
actualSize, padding, float64(padding)/float64(unsafe.Sizeof(good))*100)
fmt.Printf("\nπ° Memory savings: %d bytes (%.1f%% reduction)\n",
unsafe.Sizeof(bad)-unsafe.Sizeof(good),
float64(unsafe.Sizeof(bad)-unsafe.Sizeof(good))/float64(unsafe.Sizeof(bad))*100)
}
Output:
=== PERBANDINGAN LAYOUT ===
BadLayout size: 24 bytes
GoodLayout size: 16 bytes
OptimalLayout size: 16 bytes
--- BadLayout Detail (24 bytes) ---
Field a: offset= 0, size=1, align=1
Field b: offset= 8, size=8, align=8
Field c: offset=16, size=2, align=2
Actual fields: 11 bytes, Padding: 13 bytes (54.2%)
--- GoodLayout Detail (16 bytes) ---
Field b: offset= 0, size=8, align=8
Field c: offset= 8, size=2, align=2
Field a: offset=10, size=1, align=1
Actual fields: 11 bytes, Padding: 5 bytes (31.2%)
π° Memory savings: 8 bytes (33.3% reduction)
3.3 Visualisasi Memory Layout
BadLayout (24 bytes):
βββββββ¬ββββββββββββββββββ¬ββββββββββ¬βββββββββ¬ββββββββββββββββ
β a β padding (7) β b β c β padding (6) β
β 1B β 7B β 8B β 2B β 6B β
βββββββ΄ββββββββββββββββββ΄ββββββββββ΄βββββββββ΄ββββββββββββββββ
Offset: 0 1 8 16 18 24
GoodLayout (16 bytes):
βββββββββββ¬βββββββββ¬ββββββ¬βββββββββββββββ
β b β c β a β padding (5) β
β 8B β 2B β 1B β 5B β
βββββββββββ΄βββββββββ΄ββββββ΄βββββββββββββββ
Offset: 0 8 10 11 16
3.4 Kode: Analyzer Tool untuk Struct
package main
import (
"fmt"
"unsafe"
)
type StructAnalyzer struct {
name string
totalSize uintptr
fields []FieldInfo
}
type FieldInfo struct {
name string
offset uintptr
size uintptr
align uintptr
}
func analyzeStruct(name string, s interface{}, fields []FieldInfo) {
analyzer := StructAnalyzer{
name: name,
totalSize: reflect.TypeOf(s).Size(),
fields: fields,
}
fmt.Printf("\n=== %s Analysis ===\n", analyzer.name)
fmt.Printf("Total Size: %d bytes\n\n", analyzer.totalSize)
fmt.Println("Field Details:")
fmt.Println("Name Offset Size Align")
fmt.Println("βββββββββββββ ββββββ ββββ βββββ")
actualSize := uintptr(0)
for _, f := range analyzer.fields {
fmt.Printf("%-13s %6d %4d %5d\n", f.name, f.offset, f.size, f.align)
actualSize += f.size
}
padding := analyzer.totalSize - actualSize
paddingPct := float64(padding) / float64(analyzer.totalSize) * 100
fmt.Println("βββββββββββββ ββββββ ββββ βββββ")
fmt.Printf("Field Total: %4d bytes\n", actualSize)
fmt.Printf("Padding: %4d bytes (%.1f%%)\n", padding, paddingPct)
fmt.Printf("Struct Total: %4d bytes\n", analyzer.totalSize)
}
// Contoh struct untuk dianalisis
type ExampleStruct struct {
a bool // 1 byte
b int32 // 4 bytes
c bool // 1 byte
d int64 // 8 bytes
e bool // 1 byte
f int16 // 2 bytes
}
func main() {
var ex ExampleStruct
fields := []FieldInfo{
{"a (bool)", unsafe.Offsetof(ex.a), unsafe.Sizeof(ex.a), unsafe.Alignof(ex.a)},
{"b (int32)", unsafe.Offsetof(ex.b), unsafe.Sizeof(ex.b), unsafe.Alignof(ex.b)},
{"c (bool)", unsafe.Offsetof(ex.c), unsafe.Sizeof(ex.c), unsafe.Alignof(ex.c)},
{"d (int64)", unsafe.Offsetof(ex.d), unsafe.Sizeof(ex.d), unsafe.Alignof(ex.d)},
{"e (bool)", unsafe.Offsetof(ex.e), unsafe.Sizeof(ex.e), unsafe.Alignof(ex.e)},
{"f (int16)", unsafe.Offsetof(ex.f), unsafe.Sizeof(ex.f), unsafe.Alignof(ex.f)},
}
analyzeStruct("ExampleStruct", ex, fields)
// Sekarang buat versi optimal
type OptimizedStruct struct {
d int64 // 8 bytes
b int32 // 4 bytes
f int16 // 2 bytes
a bool // 1 byte
c bool // 1 byte
e bool // 1 byte
}
var opt OptimizedStruct
fieldsOpt := []FieldInfo{
{"d (int64)", unsafe.Offsetof(opt.d), unsafe.Sizeof(opt.d), unsafe.Alignof(opt.d)},
{"b (int32)", unsafe.Offsetof(opt.b), unsafe.Sizeof(opt.b), unsafe.Alignof(opt.b)},
{"f (int16)", unsafe.Offsetof(opt.f), unsafe.Sizeof(opt.f), unsafe.Alignof(opt.f)},
{"a (bool)", unsafe.Offsetof(opt.a), unsafe.Sizeof(opt.a), unsafe.Alignof(opt.a)},
{"c (bool)", unsafe.Offsetof(opt.c), unsafe.Sizeof(opt.c), unsafe.Alignof(opt.c)},
{"e (bool)", unsafe.Offsetof(opt.e), unsafe.Sizeof(opt.e), unsafe.Alignof(opt.e)},
}
analyzeStruct("OptimizedStruct", opt, fieldsOpt)
fmt.Printf("\nπ‘ Optimization Result:\n")
fmt.Printf("Original: %d bytes\n", unsafe.Sizeof(ex))
fmt.Printf("Optimized: %d bytes\n", unsafe.Sizeof(opt))
fmt.Printf("Savings: %d bytes (%.1f%% reduction)\n",
unsafe.Sizeof(ex)-unsafe.Sizeof(opt),
float64(unsafe.Sizeof(ex)-unsafe.Sizeof(opt))/float64(unsafe.Sizeof(ex))*100)
}
3.5 Zero-Sized Fields
Field dengan ukuran 0 byte (seperti struct{}
atau [0]int
) kadang dapat mempengaruhi padding:
package main
import (
"fmt"
"unsafe"
)
type WithoutZeroField struct {
a int32
b int32
}
type WithZeroField struct {
a int32
_ struct{} // zero-sized field
b int32
}
type WithZeroArray struct {
a int32
_ [0]int64 // zero-sized array, alignment = 8
b int32
}
func main() {
fmt.Println("=== ZERO-SIZED FIELDS EFFECT ===")
fmt.Printf("WithoutZeroField: %d bytes\n", unsafe.Sizeof(WithoutZeroField{}))
fmt.Printf("WithZeroField: %d bytes\n", unsafe.Sizeof(WithZeroField{}))
fmt.Printf("WithZeroArray: %d bytes\n", unsafe.Sizeof(WithZeroArray{}))
var wza WithZeroArray
fmt.Printf("\nWithZeroArray details:\n")
fmt.Printf("Field a offset: %d\n", unsafe.Offsetof(wza.a))
fmt.Printf("Field b offset: %d\n", unsafe.Offsetof(wza.b))
}
Output:
=== ZERO-SIZED FIELDS EFFECT ===
WithoutZeroField: 8 bytes
WithZeroField: 8 bytes
WithZeroArray: 16 bytes
WithZeroArray details:
Field a offset: 0
Field b offset: 8
4. Alignment untuk 64-bit Atomic Operations
4.1 Masalah pada Arsitektur 32-bit
Pada arsitektur 32-bit, alignment guarantee untuk int64
dan uint64
hanya 4 bytes, tetapi operasi atomic 64-bit memerlukan alignment 8 bytes. Jika tidak terpenuhi, program akan panic di runtime!
4.2 Aturan Keamanan
Menurut dokumentasi sync/atomic
:
On 32-bit systems (ARM, x86-32), the 64-bit functions use instructions unavailable before certain CPU generations.
It is the caller's responsibility to arrange for 64-bit alignment of 64-bit words accessed atomically. The first word in a variable or in an allocated struct, array, or slice can be relied upon to be 64-bit aligned.
4.3 Kata yang Aman untuk Atomic Operations
Pada arsitektur 32-bit, 64-bit word berikut dijamin 8-byte aligned:
Variable global
Variable lokal yang dideklarasikan dengan
var
Elemen pertama dari allocated array/slice
Field pertama dari allocated struct
Value yang dikembalikan oleh
new()
ataumake()
4.4 Contoh: Safe vs Unsafe Atomic Access
package main
import (
"fmt"
"sync/atomic"
"unsafe"
)
type SafeCounter struct {
value uint64 // Field pertama - AMAN
}
type UnsafeCounter struct {
_ int16 // Field lain di depan
value uint64 // Bukan field pertama - TIDAK AMAN di 32-bit!
}
type MultiCounter struct {
_ int16
value1 uint64 // TIDAK AMAN di 32-bit
value2 *uint64 // Pointer aman, tapi yang ditunjuk harus allocated
}
func main() {
fmt.Println("=== ATOMIC SAFETY ANALYSIS (64-bit arch) ===\n")
// 1. Global variable - AMAN
var globalCounter uint64
fmt.Printf("1. Global variable:\n")
fmt.Printf(" Address: %p, Alignment: %d\n",
&globalCounter, unsafe.Alignof(globalCounter))
atomic.AddUint64(&globalCounter, 1)
fmt.Printf(" β Safe for atomic operations\n\n")
// 2. Local variable - AMAN
var localCounter uint64
fmt.Printf("2. Local variable:\n")
fmt.Printf(" Address: %p, Alignment: %d\n",
&localCounter, unsafe.Alignof(localCounter))
atomic.AddUint64(&localCounter, 1)
fmt.Printf(" β Safe for atomic operations\n\n")
// 3. SafeCounter - AMAN (field pertama)
var safe SafeCounter
fmt.Printf("3. SafeCounter.value (first field):\n")
fmt.Printf(" Address: %p, Offset: %d\n",
&safe.value, unsafe.Offsetof(safe.value))
atomic.AddUint64(&safe.value, 1)
fmt.Printf(" β Safe for atomic operations\n\n")
// 4. UnsafeCounter - TIDAK AMAN di 32-bit (bukan field pertama)
var unsafe1 UnsafeCounter
fmt.Printf("4. UnsafeCounter.value (NOT first field):\n")
fmt.Printf(" Address: %p, Offset: %d\n",
&unsafe1.value, unsafe.Offsetof(unsafe1.value))
fmt.Printf(" β οΈ UNSAFE on 32-bit architectures!\n\n")
// 5. Array - AMAN (elemen pertama)
var arr [5]uint64
fmt.Printf("5. Array element [0]:\n")
fmt.Printf(" Address: %p\n", &arr[0])
atomic.AddUint64(&arr[0], 1)
fmt.Printf(" β Safe for atomic operations\n\n")
// 6. Slice dari array - AMAN jika elemen pertama = array pertama
slice := arr[:]
fmt.Printf("6. Slice from array:\n")
fmt.Printf(" Address: %p\n", &slice[0])
atomic.AddUint64(&slice[0], 1)
fmt.Printf(" β Safe for atomic operations\n\n")
// 7. Allocated struct dengan new() - AMAN
safePtr := new(SafeCounter)
fmt.Printf("7. Allocated struct (new):\n")
fmt.Printf(" Address: %p\n", &safePtr.value)
atomic.AddUint64(&safePtr.value, 1)
fmt.Printf(" β Safe for atomic operations\n\n")
// 8. MultiCounter dengan allocated value - AMAN
var multi MultiCounter
multi.value2 = new(uint64)
fmt.Printf("8. MultiCounter with allocated pointer:\n")
fmt.Printf(" Address: %p\n", multi.value2)
atomic.AddUint64(multi.value2, 1)
fmt.Printf(" β Safe for atomic operations\n\n")
}
4.5 Solusi untuk Arsitektur 32-bit
Solusi 1: Gunakan Field Pertama
package main
import (
"sync/atomic"
)
// β AMAN - value adalah field pertama
type SafeCounter struct {
value uint64
name string
id int32
}
func (c *SafeCounter) Increment() {
atomic.AddUint64(&c.value, 1)
}
func (c *SafeCounter) Get() uint64 {
return atomic.LoadUint64(&c.value)
}
Solusi 2: Gunakan Array Alignment Trick
package main
import (
"sync/atomic"
"unsafe"
)
// Counter yang selalu aman dengan alignment trick
type AlignedCounter struct {
x [15]byte // Bukan uint64!
}
func (c *AlignedCounter) valueAddr() *uint64 {
// Hitung alamat yang dijamin 8-byte aligned
addr := uintptr(unsafe.Pointer(&c.x))
alignedAddr := (addr + 7) &^ 7 // Round up ke kelipatan 8
return (*uint64)(unsafe.Pointer(alignedAddr))
}
func (c *AlignedCounter) Add(delta uint64) {
atomic.AddUint64(c.valueAddr(), delta)
}
func (c *AlignedCounter) Get() uint64 {
return atomic.LoadUint64(c.valueAddr())
}
// Bisa di-embed dengan aman
type MyService struct {
name string
counter AlignedCounter // Aman meski bukan field pertama!
active bool
}
Solusi 3: Gunakan atomic.Int64/Uint64 (Go 1.19+)
package main
import (
"sync/atomic"
)
// β TERBAIK - Menggunakan atomic types (Go 1.19+)
// atomic.Uint64 dijamin 8-byte aligned di semua arsitektur
type ModernCounter struct {
name string
value atomic.Uint64 // Selalu aman!
id int32
}
func (c *ModernCounter) Increment() {
c.value.Add(1)
}
func (c *ModernCounter) Get() uint64 {
return c.value.Load()
}
// Cara lain dengan embedded field
type AnotherCounter struct {
_ [0]atomic.Int64 // Zero-sized, tapi memaksa alignment 8
value int64 // Sekarang dijamin 8-byte aligned
name string
}
func (c *AnotherCounter) Increment() {
atomic.AddInt64(&c.value, 1)
}
4.6 Testing Atomic Safety
package main
import (
"fmt"
"sync"
"sync/atomic"
"testing"
)
type TestCounter struct {
value uint64
}
func TestAtomicSafety(t *testing.T) {
const numGoroutines = 100
const incrementsPerGoroutine = 1000
var counter TestCounter
var wg sync.WaitGroup
// Test dengan concurrent access
for i := 0; i < numGoroutines; i++ {
wg.Add(1)
go func() {
defer wg.Done()
for j := 0; j < incrementsPerGoroutine; j++ {
atomic.AddUint64(&counter.value, 1)
}
}()
}
wg.Wait()
expected := uint64(numGoroutines * incrementsPerGoroutine)
actual := atomic.LoadUint64(&counter.value)
if actual != expected {
t.Errorf("Expected %d, got %d", expected, actual)
} else {
fmt.Printf("β Atomic operations safe: %d increments\n", actual)
}
}
func main() {
t := &testing.T{}
TestAtomicSafety(t)
}
5. Optimisasi Memory Layout
5.1 Prinsip Optimisasi
Untuk mengoptimalkan memory layout:
Urutkan field dari besar ke kecil (descending by size)
Kelompokkan field dengan ukuran sama
Letakkan field yang sering diakses bersamaan berdekatan (cache locality)
Pertimbangkan false sharing untuk concurrent access
5.2 Contoh Optimisasi Lengkap
package main
import (
"fmt"
"unsafe"
)
// β SEBELUM OPTIMISASI - 56 bytes
type UserBefore struct {
Active bool // 1 byte
Age int32 // 4 bytes
Premium bool // 1 byte
Balance float64 // 8 bytes
ID int64 // 8 bytes
Level int16 // 2 bytes
Verified bool // 1 byte
Score float32 // 4 bytes
LastLogin int64 // 8 bytes
}
// β SETELAH OPTIMISASI - 40 bytes
type UserAfter struct {
// 8-byte aligned fields first
ID int64 // 8 bytes
Balance float64 // 8 bytes
LastLogin int64 // 8 bytes
// 4-byte aligned fields
Age int32 // 4 bytes
Score float32 // 4 bytes
// 2-byte aligned fields
Level int16 // 2 bytes
// 1-byte aligned fields (bisa dikelompokkan)
Active bool // 1 byte
Premium bool // 1 byte
Verified bool // 1 byte
// 5 bytes padding untuk alignment 8
}
func compareLayouts() {
var before UserBefore
var after UserAfter
fmt.Println("=== OPTIMISASI MEMORY LAYOUT ===\n")
// Before
fmt.Println("BEFORE OPTIMIZATION:")
fmt.Printf("Size: %d bytes\n", unsafe.Sizeof(before))
fmt.Println("\nField Layout:")
fmt.Printf("Active: offset=%2d, size=%d\n", unsafe.Offsetof(before.Active), unsafe.Sizeof(before.Active))
fmt.Printf("Age: offset=%2d, size=%d\n", unsafe.Offsetof(before.Age), unsafe.Sizeof(before.Age))
fmt.Printf("Premium: offset=%2d, size=%d\n", unsafe.Offsetof(before.Premium), unsafe.Sizeof(before.Premium))
fmt.Printf("Balance: offset=%2d, size=%d\n", unsafe.Offsetof(before.Balance), unsafe.Sizeof(before.Balance))
fmt.Printf("ID: offset=%2d, size=%d\n", unsafe.Offsetof(before.ID), unsafe.Sizeof(before.ID))
fmt.Printf("Level: offset=%2d, size=%d\n", unsafe.Offsetof(before.Level), unsafe.Sizeof(before.Level))
fmt.Printf("Verified: offset=%2d, size=%d\n", unsafe.Offsetof(before.Verified), unsafe.Sizeof(before.Verified))
fmt.Printf("Score: offset=%2d, size=%d\n", unsafe.Offsetof(before.Score), unsafe.Sizeof(before.Score))
fmt.Printf("LastLogin: offset=%2d, size=%d\n", unsafe.Offsetof(before.LastLogin), unsafe.Sizeof(before.LastLogin))
// After
fmt.Println("\nAFTER OPTIMIZATION:")
fmt.Printf("Size: %d bytes\n", unsafe.Sizeof(after))
fmt.Println("\nField Layout:")
fmt.Printf("ID: offset=%2d, size=%d\n", unsafe.Offsetof(after.ID), unsafe.Sizeof(after.ID))
fmt.Printf("Balance: offset=%2d, size=%d\n", unsafe.Offsetof(after.Balance), unsafe.Sizeof(after.Balance))
fmt.Printf("LastLogin: offset=%2d, size=%d\n", unsafe.Offsetof(after.LastLogin), unsafe.Sizeof(after.LastLogin))
fmt.Printf("Age: offset=%2d, size=%d\n", unsafe.Offsetof(after.Age), unsafe.Sizeof(after.Age))
fmt.Printf("Score: offset=%2d, size=%d\n", unsafe.Offsetof(after.Score), unsafe.Sizeof(after.Score))
fmt.Printf("Level: offset=%2d, size=%d\n", unsafe.Offsetof(after.Level), unsafe.Sizeof(after.Level))
fmt.Printf("Active: offset=%2d, size=%d\n", unsafe.Offsetof(after.Active), unsafe.Sizeof(after.Active))
fmt.Printf("Premium: offset=%2d, size=%d\n", unsafe.Offsetof(after.Premium), unsafe.Sizeof(after.Premium))
fmt.Printf("Verified: offset=%2d, size=%d\n", unsafe.Offsetof(after.Verified), unsafe.Sizeof(after.Verified))
// Savings
savings := int(unsafe.Sizeof(before)) - int(unsafe.Sizeof(after))
savingsPct := float64(savings) / float64(unsafe.Sizeof(before)) * 100
fmt.Printf("\nπ° MEMORY SAVINGS:\n")
fmt.Printf("Before: %d bytes\n", unsafe.Sizeof(before))
fmt.Printf("After: %d bytes\n", unsafe.Sizeof(after))
fmt.Printf("Saved: %d bytes (%.1f%% reduction)\n", savings, savingsPct)
// Untuk 1 juta instances
fmt.Printf("\nπ For 1 million instances:\n")
fmt.Printf("Before: %.2f MB\n", float64(unsafe.Sizeof(before)*1_000_000)/(1024*1024))
fmt.Printf("After: %.2f MB\n", float64(unsafe.Sizeof(after)*1_000_000)/(1024*1024))
fmt.Printf("Saved: %.2f MB\n", float64(savings*1_000_000)/(1024*1024))
}
func main() {
compareLayouts()
}
Output:
=== OPTIMISASI MEMORY LAYOUT ===
BEFORE OPTIMIZATION:
Size: 56 bytes
Field Layout:
Active: offset= 0, size=1
Age: offset= 4, size=4
Premium: offset= 8, size=1
Balance: offset=16, size=8
ID: offset=24, size=8
Level: offset=32, size=2
Verified: offset=34, size=1
Score: offset=36, size=4
LastLogin: offset=40, size=8
AFTER OPTIMIZATION:
Size: 40 bytes
Field Layout:
ID: offset= 0, size=8
Balance: offset= 8, size=8
LastLogin: offset=16, size=8
Age: offset=24, size=4
Score: offset=28, size=4
Level: offset=32, size=2
Active: offset=34, size=1
Premium: offset=35, size=1
Verified: offset=36, size=1
π° MEMORY SAVINGS:
Before: 56 bytes
After: 40 bytes
Saved: 16 bytes (28.6% reduction)
π For 1 million instances:
Before: 53.41 MB
After: 38.15 MB
Saved: 15.26 MB
5.3 Cache Line Optimization (False Sharing)
False sharing terjadi ketika dua goroutine mengakses field berbeda dalam struct yang sama, tapi field tersebut berada dalam cache line yang sama.
package main
import (
"fmt"
"runtime"
"sync"
"sync/atomic"
"time"
"unsafe"
)
// β BAD - False sharing problem
type CountersBad struct {
counter1 uint64 // Di cache line yang sama
counter2 uint64 // Di cache line yang sama
}
// β GOOD - Separated by cache line padding
type CountersGood struct {
counter1 uint64
_ [56]byte // Padding: 64 - 8 = 56 bytes
counter2 uint64
_ [56]byte
}
func benchmarkCounters(name string, c1, c2 *uint64) time.Duration {
const iterations = 10_000_000
var wg sync.WaitGroup
start := time.Now()
wg.Add(2)
// Goroutine 1: increment counter1
go func() {
defer wg.Done()
for i := 0; i < iterations; i++ {
atomic.AddUint64(c1, 1)
}
}()
// Goroutine 2: increment counter2
go func() {
defer wg.Done()
for i := 0; i < iterations; i++ {
atomic.AddUint64(c2, 1)
}
}()
wg.Wait()
duration := time.Since(start)
fmt.Printf("%s: %v\n", name, duration)
return duration
}
func main() {
runtime.GOMAXPROCS(2) // Use 2 cores for clear effect
fmt.Println("=== FALSE SHARING DEMONSTRATION ===\n")
fmt.Printf("Cache line size: typically 64 bytes\n")
fmt.Printf("CountersBad size: %d bytes\n", unsafe.Sizeof(CountersBad{}))
fmt.Printf("CountersGood size: %d bytes\n\n", unsafe.Sizeof(CountersGood{}))
// Test Bad Layout (with false sharing)
var bad CountersBad
timeBad := benchmarkCounters("CountersBad (false sharing)", &bad.counter1, &bad.counter2)
// Test Good Layout (without false sharing)
var good CountersGood
timeGood := benchmarkCounters("CountersGood (padded)", &good.counter1, &good.counter2)
improvement := float64(timeBad-timeGood) / float64(timeBad) * 100
fmt.Printf("\nπ‘ Performance improvement: %.1f%%\n", improvement)
fmt.Printf("Good layout is %.2fx faster\n", float64(timeBad)/float64(timeGood))
}
5.4 Tool: Automatic Layout Optimizer
package main
import (
"fmt"
"sort"
"unsafe"
)
type FieldDef struct {
Name string
Type string
Size int
Alignment int
}
type LayoutOptimizer struct {
fields []FieldDef
}
func NewLayoutOptimizer() *LayoutOptimizer {
return &LayoutOptimizer{
fields: make([]FieldDef, 0),
}
}
func (o *LayoutOptimizer) AddField(name, typeName string, size, alignment int) {
o.fields = append(o.fields, FieldDef{
Name: name,
Type: typeName,
Alignment: alignment,
Size: size,
})
}
func (o *LayoutOptimizer) OptimizeLayout() []FieldDef {
optimized := make([]FieldDef, len(o.fields))
copy(optimized, o.fields)
// Sort by alignment (descending), then by size (descending)
sort.Slice(optimized, func(i, j int) bool {
if optimized[i].Alignment != optimized[j].Alignment {
return optimized[i].Alignment > optimized[j].Alignment
}
return optimized[i].Size > optimized[j].Size
})
return optimized
}
func (o *LayoutOptimizer) CalculateSize(fields []FieldDef) int {
if len(fields) == 0 {
return 0
}
// Find maximum alignment
maxAlign := 0
for _, f := range fields {
if f.Alignment > maxAlign {
maxAlign = f.Alignment
}
}
offset := 0
for _, f := range fields {
// Add padding for alignment
padding := (f.Alignment - (offset % f.Alignment)) % f.Alignment
offset += padding + f.Size
}
// Add tail padding to make total size multiple of alignment
tailPadding := (maxAlign - (offset % maxAlign)) % maxAlign
offset += tailPadding
return offset
}
func (o *LayoutOptimizer) PrintLayout(fields []FieldDef, title string) {
fmt.Printf("\n=== %s ===\n", title)
fmt.Println("Field Name Type Offset Size Align")
fmt.Println("βββββββββββββββββ ββββββββββ ββββββ ββββ βββββ")
maxAlign := 0
for _, f := range fields {
if f.Alignment > maxAlign {
maxAlign = f.Alignment
}
}
offset := 0
totalPadding := 0
for i, f := range fields {
// Calculate padding
padding := (f.Alignment - (offset % f.Alignment)) % f.Alignment
if padding > 0 {
fmt.Printf("%-18s %-10s %6d %4d\n",
fmt.Sprintf("[padding %d]", i), "", offset, padding)
totalPadding += padding
}
offset += padding
fmt.Printf("%-18s %-10s %6d %4d %5d\n",
f.Name, f.Type, offset, f.Size, f.Alignment)
offset += f.Size
}
// Tail padding
tailPadding := (maxAlign - (offset % maxAlign)) % maxAlign
if tailPadding > 0 {
fmt.Printf("%-18s %-10s %6d %4d\n",
"[tail padding]", "", offset, tailPadding)
totalPadding += tailPadding
}
offset += tailPadding
fmt.Println("βββββββββββββββββ ββββββββββ ββββββ ββββ βββββ")
fmt.Printf("Total Size: %d bytes (padding: %d bytes, %.1f%%)\n",
offset, totalPadding, float64(totalPadding)/float64(offset)*100)
}
func main() {
// Example: Optimize a User struct
optimizer := NewLayoutOptimizer()
// Add fields in random order (as programmer might write)
optimizer.AddField("Active", "bool", 1, 1)
optimizer.AddField("Name", "string", 16, 8)
optimizer.AddField("Age", "int32", 4, 4)
optimizer.AddField("ID", "int64", 8, 8)
optimizer.AddField("Premium", "bool", 1, 1)
optimizer.AddField("Score", "float32", 4, 4)
optimizer.AddField("Level", "int16", 2, 2)
optimizer.AddField("Balance", "float64", 8, 8)
// Show original layout
originalSize := optimizer.CalculateSize(optimizer.fields)
optimizer.PrintLayout(optimizer.fields, "ORIGINAL LAYOUT")
// Show optimized layout
optimized := optimizer.OptimizeLayout()
optimizedSize := optimizer.CalculateSize(optimized)
optimizer.PrintLayout(optimized, "OPTIMIZED LAYOUT")
// Show comparison
savings := originalSize - optimizedSize
savingsPct := float64(savings) / float64(originalSize) * 100
fmt.Printf("\nπ° OPTIMIZATION RESULT:\n")
fmt.Printf("Original: %d bytes\n", originalSize)
fmt.Printf("Optimized: %d bytes\n", optimizedSize)
fmt.Printf("Saved: %d bytes (%.1f%% reduction)\n", savings, savingsPct)
}
6. Advanced Topics
6.1 Embedded Structs
package main
import (
"fmt"
"unsafe"
)
type Base struct {
ID int64
Name string
}
type Extended struct {
Base // Embedded struct
Age int32
Tags []string
}
// Dengan explicit field
type ExtendedExplicit struct {
base Base // Named field
Age int32
Tags []string
}
func main() {
var e1 Extended
var e2 ExtendedExplicit
fmt.Println("=== EMBEDDED STRUCT LAYOUT ===\n")
fmt.Println("Extended (embedded):")
fmt.Printf("Size: %d bytes\n", unsafe.Sizeof(e1))
fmt.Printf("Base.ID offset: %d\n", unsafe.Offsetof(e1.ID))
fmt.Printf("Base.Name offset: %d\n", unsafe.Offsetof(e1.Name))
fmt.Printf("Age offset: %d\n", unsafe.Offsetof(e1.Age))
fmt.Printf("Tags offset: %d\n", unsafe.Offsetof(e1.Tags))
fmt.Println("\nExtendedExplicit (named field):")
fmt.Printf("Size: %d bytes\n", unsafe.Sizeof(e2))
fmt.Printf("base offset: %d\n", unsafe.Offsetof(e2.base))
fmt.Printf("Age offset: %d\n", unsafe.Offsetof(e2.Age))
fmt.Printf("Tags offset: %d\n", unsafe.Offsetof(e2.Tags))
// Layout identik!
fmt.Printf("\nβ Both have identical memory layout\n")
}
6.2 Interface Values
package main
import (
"fmt"
"unsafe"
)
type MyInterface interface {
Method()
}
type MyStruct struct {
Value int64
}
func (m MyStruct) Method() {}
func main() {
var i MyInterface
var s MyStruct
fmt.Println("=== INTERFACE VALUE LAYOUT ===\n")
fmt.Printf("Interface size: %d bytes\n", unsafe.Sizeof(i))
fmt.Printf("Struct size: %d bytes\n", unsafe.Sizeof(s))
// Interface value berisi 2 pointer:
// 1. Type information (itab)
// 2. Data pointer
fmt.Println("\nInterface contains:")
fmt.Println("- Type pointer (8 bytes)")
fmt.Println("- Data pointer (8 bytes)")
fmt.Println("Total: 16 bytes on 64-bit")
i = s
fmt.Printf("\nInterface after assignment: %d bytes\n", unsafe.Sizeof(i))
}
6.3 Slice dan String Internals
package main
import (
"fmt"
"unsafe"
)
func main() {
fmt.Println("=== SLICE INTERNAL LAYOUT ===\n")
slice := []int{1, 2, 3, 4, 5}
// Slice header: pointer, len, cap
type SliceHeader struct {
Data uintptr
Len int
Cap int
}
header := (*SliceHeader)(unsafe.Pointer(&slice))
fmt.Printf("Slice size: %d bytes\n", unsafe.Sizeof(slice))
fmt.Println("\nSlice header contains:")
fmt.Printf("- Data pointer: %d bytes (address: %x)\n",
unsafe.Sizeof(header.Data), header.Data)
fmt.Printf("- Length: %d bytes (value: %d)\n",
unsafe.Sizeof(header.Len), header.Len)
fmt.Printf("- Capacity: %d bytes (value: %d)\n",
unsafe.Sizeof(header.Cap), header.Cap)
fmt.Printf("Total: %d bytes\n", unsafe.Sizeof(slice))
fmt.Println("\n=== STRING INTERNAL LAYOUT ===\n")
str := "Hello, Go!"
// String header: pointer, len
type StringHeader struct {
Data uintptr
Len int
}
strHeader := (*StringHeader)(unsafe.Pointer(&str))
fmt.Printf("String size: %d bytes\n", unsafe.Sizeof(str))
fmt.Println("\nString header contains:")
fmt.Printf("- Data pointer: %d bytes (address: %x)\n",
unsafe.Sizeof(strHeader.Data), strHeader.Data)
fmt.Printf("- Length: %d bytes (value: %d)\n",
unsafe.Sizeof(strHeader.Len), strHeader.Len)
fmt.Printf("Total: %d bytes\n", unsafe.Sizeof(str))
fmt.Println("\nπ‘ Note: The header is constant size,")
fmt.Println(" but the actual data is stored elsewhere")
}
6.4 Map Internals (Simplified)
package main
import (
"fmt"
"unsafe"
)
func main() {
m := make(map[string]int)
fmt.Println("=== MAP SIZE ===\n")
fmt.Printf("Map variable size: %d bytes\n", unsafe.Sizeof(m))
fmt.Println("\nπ‘ Maps are references to runtime structures")
fmt.Println(" The actual map data is allocated on the heap")
// Add some data
m["one"] = 1
m["two"] = 2
fmt.Printf("\nMap with data still has same variable size: %d bytes\n",
unsafe.Sizeof(m))
}
6.5 Channel Internals
package main
import (
"fmt"
"unsafe"
)
func main() {
ch := make(chan int, 10)
fmt.Println("=== CHANNEL SIZE ===\n")
fmt.Printf("Channel variable size: %d bytes\n", unsafe.Sizeof(ch))
fmt.Println("\nπ‘ Channels are pointers to runtime structures")
fmt.Println(" Buffer capacity doesn't affect variable size")
ch2 := make(chan int, 1000)
fmt.Printf("\nChannel with large buffer: %d bytes (same)\n",
unsafe.Sizeof(ch2))
}
7. Best Practices
7.1 Checklist untuk Memory Layout
β DO:
Urutkan field dari alignment terbesar ke terkecil
type Good struct { ptr *int // 8 bytes val int64 // 8 bytes flag int32 // 4 bytes b bool // 1 byte }
Kelompokkan field yang sering diakses bersama
type CacheFriendly struct { // Frequently accessed together x, y, z float64 // Less frequently accessed metadata string extra []byte }
Gunakan atomic types untuk concurrent counters
import "sync/atomic" type Stats struct { requests atomic.Uint64 errors atomic.Uint64 }
Pertimbangkan cache line size untuk concurrent access
type ThreadSafeCounters struct { counter1 uint64 _ [56]byte // Cache line padding counter2 uint64 _ [56]byte }
β DON'T:
Jangan letakkan field kecil di antara field besar
type Bad struct { a int64 // 8 bytes b bool // 1 byte + 7 padding c int64 // 8 bytes // Total: 24 bytes dengan banyak padding }
Jangan gunakan 64-bit atomic pada field yang bukan pertama (32-bit)
type Unsafe32bit struct { id int32 count uint64 // UNSAFE untuk atomic pada 32-bit! }
Jangan abaikan padding saat menghitung ukuran struct
// WRONG assumption: // type MyStruct has 3 fields: int64(8) + int32(4) + bool(1) = 13 bytes // ACTUAL: 24 bytes due to padding!
7.2 Performance Tips
Tip 1: Gunakan Profiling Tools
package main
import (
"fmt"
"runtime"
"unsafe"
)
type MyStruct struct {
data [1000]byte
}
func analyzeMemory() {
var m runtime.MemStats
// Sebelum alokasi
runtime.GC()
runtime.ReadMemStats(&m)
before := m.Alloc
// Alokasi
const count = 10000
slice := make([]MyStruct, count)
// Setelah alokasi
runtime.ReadMemStats(&m)
after := m.Alloc
allocated := after - before
perStruct := allocated / count
actualSize := unsafe.Sizeof(MyStruct{})
fmt.Printf("Allocated: %d bytes\n", allocated)
fmt.Printf("Per struct: %d bytes\n", perStruct)
fmt.Printf("Actual sizeof: %d bytes\n", actualSize)
_ = slice // Prevent optimization
}
func main() {
analyzeMemory()
}
Tip 2: Benchmark Different Layouts
package main
import (
"testing"
)
type LayoutA struct {
a bool
b int64
c bool
}
type LayoutB struct {
b int64
a bool
c bool
}
func BenchmarkLayoutA(b *testing.B) {
for i := 0; i < b.N; i++ {
_ = LayoutA{a: true, b: 123, c: false}
}
}
func BenchmarkLayoutB(b *testing.B) {
for i := 0; i < b.N; i++ {
_ = LayoutB{b: 123, a: true, c: false}
}
}
// Run: go test -bench=. -benchmem
7.3 Common Patterns
Pattern 1: Hot/Cold Fields
package main
// Pisahkan field yang sering diakses (hot) dari yang jarang (cold)
type User struct {
// Hot fields - sering diakses
ID int64
Name string
Email string
Active bool
// Cold fields - jarang diakses
CreatedAt int64
UpdatedAt int64
LastLoginIP string
Preferences []byte
}
Pattern 2: Embedding untuk Reusability
package main
import "sync/atomic"
// Base counter yang bisa di-embed
type AtomicCounter struct {
_ [0]atomic.Uint64 // Force alignment
value uint64
}
func (c *AtomicCounter) Inc() uint64 {
return atomic.AddUint64(&c.value, 1)
}
func (c *AtomicCounter) Get() uint64 {
return atomic.LoadUint64(&c.value)
}
// Gunakan di berbagai struct
type RequestStats struct {
AtomicCounter // Embedded, selalu safe
endpoint string
}
type UserStats struct {
name string
AtomicCounter // Embedded, selalu safe
}
Pattern 3: Memory Pool dengan Optimal Layout
package main
import (
"sync"
)
type OptimizedObject struct {
// Optimized layout
ptr *int
val int64
flag int32
b bool
}
var objectPool = sync.Pool{
New: func() interface{} {
return &OptimizedObject{}
},
}
func GetObject() *OptimizedObject {
return objectPool.Get().(*OptimizedObject)
}
func PutObject(obj *OptimizedObject) {
// Reset
*obj = OptimizedObject{}
objectPool.Put(obj)
}
func main() {
obj := GetObject()
defer PutObject(obj)
// Use obj...
}
7.4 Debugging Tools
Tool 1: Struct Layout Visualizer
package main
import (
"fmt"
"reflect"
"unsafe"
)
func VisualizeStruct(v interface{}) {
t := reflect.TypeOf(v)
if t.Kind() == reflect.Ptr {
t = t.Elem()
}
fmt.Printf("\n=== STRUCT: %s ===\n", t.Name())
fmt.Printf("Total Size: %d bytes\n", t.Size())
fmt.Printf("Alignment: %d bytes\n\n", t.Align())
// Print visual representation
fmt.Println("Memory Layout Visualization:")
fmt.Println("β" + repeat("β", 80) + "β")
offset := uintptr(0)
for i := 0; i < t.NumField(); i++ {
field := t.Field(i)
// Check for padding before this field
if field.Offset > offset {
padding := field.Offset - offset
fmt.Printf("β [PADDING: %d bytes at offset %d]%sβ\n",
padding, offset, repeat(" ", 80-int(len(fmt.Sprintf(" [PADDING: %d bytes at offset %d]", padding, offset)))))
}
// Print field
fieldInfo := fmt.Sprintf(" %s (%s): %d bytes at offset %d",
field.Name, field.Type.Name(), field.Type.Size(), field.Offset)
fmt.Printf("β%s%sβ\n", fieldInfo, repeat(" ", 80-len(fieldInfo)))
offset = field.Offset + field.Type.Size()
}
// Check for tail padding
if t.Size() > offset {
padding := t.Size() - offset
fmt.Printf("β [TAIL PADDING: %d bytes]%sβ\n",
padding, repeat(" ", 80-int(len(fmt.Sprintf(" [TAIL PADDING: %d bytes]", padding)))))
}
fmt.Println("β" + repeat("β", 80) + "β")
}
func repeat(s string, count int) string {
result := ""
for i := 0; i < count; i++ {
result += s
}
return result
}
// Example usage
type ExampleStruct struct {
A bool
B int64
C int16
D bool
}
func main() {
VisualizeStruct(ExampleStruct{})
}
Tool 2: Memory Layout Comparator
package main
import (
"fmt"
"reflect"
"unsafe"
)
type LayoutComparator struct {
structs []interface{}
names []string
}
func NewLayoutComparator() *LayoutComparator {
return &LayoutComparator{
structs: make([]interface{}, 0),
names: make([]string, 0),
}
}
func (lc *LayoutComparator) Add(name string, s interface{}) {
lc.names = append(lc.names, name)
lc.structs = append(lc.structs, s)
}
func (lc *LayoutComparator) Compare() {
fmt.Println("\n=== LAYOUT COMPARISON ===\n")
// Print header
fmt.Printf("%-20s | %10s | %10s | %10s\n", "Struct", "Size", "Alignment", "Fields")
fmt.Println(repeat("-", 60))
// Print each struct
for i, s := range lc.structs {
t := reflect.TypeOf(s)
if t.Kind() == reflect.Ptr {
t = t.Elem()
}
fmt.Printf("%-20s | %10d | %10d | %10d\n",
lc.names[i], t.Size(), t.Align(), t.NumField())
}
// Find best and worst
var bestIdx, worstIdx int
bestSize := reflect.TypeOf(lc.structs[0]).Size()
worstSize := bestSize
for i, s := range lc.structs[1:] {
size := reflect.TypeOf(s).Size()
if size < bestSize {
bestSize = size
bestIdx = i + 1
}
if size > worstSize {
worstSize = size
worstIdx = i + 1
}
}
fmt.Printf("\nπ Best (smallest): %s (%d bytes)\n", lc.names[bestIdx], bestSize)
fmt.Printf("β οΈ Worst (largest): %s (%d bytes)\n", lc.names[worstIdx], worstSize)
if bestIdx != worstIdx {
savings := worstSize - bestSize
pct := float64(savings) / float64(worstSize) * 100
fmt.Printf("π° Potential savings: %d bytes (%.1f%%)\n", savings, pct)
}
}
func repeat(s string, count int) string {
result := ""
for i := 0; i < count; i++ {
result += s
}
return result
}
// Example: Compare different layouts
type Layout1 struct {
a bool
b int64
c bool
}
type Layout2 struct {
b int64
a bool
c bool
}
type Layout3 struct {
b int64
c bool
a bool
}
func main() {
comp := NewLayoutComparator()
comp.Add("Layout1 (bad)", Layout1{})
comp.Add("Layout2 (good)", Layout2{})
comp.Add("Layout3 (good)", Layout3{})
comp.Compare()
}
7.5 Production Checklist
Sebelum deploy ke production, periksa:
[ ] Struct besar sudah dioptimasi layout-nya
[ ] Field yang sering diakses concurrent sudah menggunakan atomic types
[ ] Tidak ada 64-bit atomic operation pada field non-pertama (untuk support 32-bit)
[ ] Cache line padding ditambahkan untuk high-contention concurrent access
[ ] Profiling sudah dilakukan untuk memastikan tidak ada memory bloat
[ ] Documentation ditambahkan untuk layout yang critical
8. Real-World Examples
8.1 HTTP Server Stats
package main
import (
"fmt"
"sync/atomic"
"time"
)
// β BEFORE: 72 bytes with poor layout
type ServerStatsBefore struct {
Requests uint64
RequestsActive int32
Errors uint64
BytesSent uint64
StartTime time.Time // 24 bytes
LastRequest time.Time // 24 bytes
}
// β AFTER: 56 bytes with optimized layout
type ServerStatsAfter struct {
// Atomic counters - always safe
Requests atomic.Uint64
Errors atomic.Uint64
BytesSent atomic.Uint64
// Time values - 24 bytes each
StartTime time.Time
// Smaller fields
ActiveReqs atomic.Int32
_ [4]byte // Explicit padding for clarity
}
func (s *ServerStatsAfter) RecordRequest(bytes uint64, err bool) {
s.Requests.Add(1)
s.BytesSent.Add(bytes)
if err {
s.Errors.Add(1)
}
}
func (s *ServerStatsAfter) ActiveIncrement() {
s.ActiveReqs.Add(1)
}
func (s *ServerStatsAfter) ActiveDecrement() {
s.ActiveReqs.Add(-1)
}
func (s *ServerStatsAfter) Report() {
fmt.Printf("Requests: %d, Errors: %d, Active: %d, Bytes: %d\n",
s.Requests.Load(),
s.Errors.Load(),
s.ActiveReqs.Load(),
s.BytesSent.Load())
}
func main() {
stats := &ServerStatsAfter{
StartTime: time.Now(),
}
// Simulate requests
for i := 0; i < 1000; i++ {
stats.RecordRequest(1024, i%100 == 0)
}
stats.Report()
}
8.2 Cache Entry
package main
import (
"sync"
"sync/atomic"
"time"
)
// Optimized cache entry with minimal padding
type CacheEntry struct {
// Most frequently accessed (hot path)
value atomic.Value // 16 bytes (interface)
hits atomic.Uint64 // 8 bytes
// Frequently accessed
expireAt atomic.Int64 // 8 bytes (unix timestamp)
// Less frequently accessed (cold path)
key string // 16 bytes
createdAt time.Time // 24 bytes
// Rarely accessed
mu sync.RWMutex // 24 bytes
metadata map[string]string
}
func NewCacheEntry(key string, value interface{}, ttl time.Duration) *CacheEntry {
entry := &CacheEntry{
key: key,
createdAt: time.Now(),
}
entry.value.Store(value)
entry.expireAt.Store(time.Now().Add(ttl).Unix())
return entry
}
func (e *CacheEntry) Get() (interface{}, bool) {
// Check expiration without lock
if time.Now().Unix() > e.expireAt.Load() {
return nil, false
}
e.hits.Add(1)
return e.value.Load(), true
}
func (e *CacheEntry) Update(value interface{}, ttl time.Duration) {
e.value.Store(value)
e.expireAt.Store(time.Now().Add(ttl).Unix())
}
func (e *CacheEntry) IsExpired() bool {
return time.Now().Unix() > e.expireAt.Load()
}
func (e *CacheEntry) Hits() uint64 {
return e.hits.Load()
}
8.3 Ring Buffer
package main
import (
"fmt"
"sync/atomic"
)
// Lock-free ring buffer dengan optimized layout
type RingBuffer struct {
// Cache line 1: write-related (avoid false sharing)
writePos atomic.Uint64
_ [56]byte // Padding
// Cache line 2: read-related
readPos atomic.Uint64
_ [56]byte // Padding
// Cache line 3+: configuration (read-only after init)
buffer []interface{}
capacity uint64
mask uint64
}
func NewRingBuffer(capacity uint64) *RingBuffer {
// Ensure capacity is power of 2
if capacity&(capacity-1) != 0 {
panic("capacity must be power of 2")
}
return &RingBuffer{
buffer: make([]interface{}, capacity),
capacity: capacity,
mask: capacity - 1,
}
}
func (rb *RingBuffer) Push(item interface{}) bool {
for {
writePos := rb.writePos.Load()
readPos := rb.readPos.Load()
// Check if full
if writePos-readPos >= rb.capacity {
return false
}
// Try to reserve slot
if rb.writePos.CompareAndSwap(writePos, writePos+1) {
rb.buffer[writePos&rb.mask] = item
return true
}
}
}
func (rb *RingBuffer) Pop() (interface{}, bool) {
for {
readPos := rb.readPos.Load()
writePos := rb.writePos.Load()
// Check if empty
if readPos >= writePos {
return nil, false
}
// Try to reserve slot
if rb.readPos.CompareAndSwap(readPos, readPos+1) {
item := rb.buffer[readPos&rb.mask]
rb.buffer[readPos&rb.mask] = nil // Clear reference
return item, true
}
}
}
func (rb *RingBuffer) Len() uint64 {
return rb.writePos.Load() - rb.readPos.Load()
}
func main() {
rb := NewRingBuffer(8)
// Push items
for i := 0; i < 5; i++ {
rb.Push(fmt.Sprintf("item-%d", i))
}
fmt.Printf("Length: %d\n", rb.Len())
// Pop items
for {
item, ok := rb.Pop()
if !ok {
break
}
fmt.Printf("Popped: %v\n", item)
}
}
8.4 Metrics Collector
package main
import (
"fmt"
"sync/atomic"
"time"
)
// Optimized metrics collector untuk high-throughput systems
type MetricsCollector struct {
// Hot counters - frequently updated
totalRequests atomic.Uint64
_ [56]byte
totalErrors atomic.Uint64
_ [56]byte
totalBytes atomic.Uint64
_ [56]byte
// Histogram buckets (read less frequently)
latencyBuckets [10]atomic.Uint64
// Configuration (read-only)
startTime time.Time
name string
}
func NewMetricsCollector(name string) *MetricsCollector {
return &MetricsCollector{
startTime: time.Now(),
name: name,
}
}
func (m *MetricsCollector) RecordRequest(latencyMs int, bytes uint64, hasError bool) {
m.totalRequests.Add(1)
m.totalBytes.Add(bytes)
if hasError {
m.totalErrors.Add(1)
}
// Record latency in appropriate bucket
bucketIdx := latencyMs / 100 // 100ms buckets
if bucketIdx >= len(m.latencyBuckets) {
bucketIdx = len(m.latencyBuckets) - 1
}
m.latencyBuckets[bucketIdx].Add(1)
}
func (m *MetricsCollector) Snapshot() map[string]interface{} {
snapshot := make(map[string]interface{})
snapshot["name"] = m.name
snapshot["uptime"] = time.Since(m.startTime).String()
snapshot["total_requests"] = m.totalRequests.Load()
snapshot["total_errors"] = m.totalErrors.Load()
snapshot["total_bytes"] = m.totalBytes.Load()
// Latency distribution
latency := make([]uint64, len(m.latencyBuckets))
for i := range m.latencyBuckets {
latency[i] = m.latencyBuckets[i].Load()
}
snapshot["latency_distribution"] = latency
return snapshot
}
func (m *MetricsCollector) Report() {
snapshot := m.Snapshot()
fmt.Printf("\n=== Metrics: %s ===\n", snapshot["name"])
fmt.Printf("Uptime: %s\n", snapshot["uptime"])
fmt.Printf("Requests: %d\n", snapshot["total_requests"])
fmt.Printf("Errors: %d\n", snapshot["total_errors"])
fmt.Printf("Bytes: %d\n", snapshot["total_bytes"])
latency := snapshot["latency_distribution"].([]uint64)
fmt.Println("\nLatency Distribution:")
for i, count := range latency {
if count > 0 {
fmt.Printf(" %d-%dms: %d\n", i*100, (i+1)*100, count)
}
}
}
func main() {
collector := NewMetricsCollector("api-server")
// Simulate traffic
for i := 0; i < 10000; i++ {
latency := (i % 10) * 50 // 0-450ms
bytes := uint64(100 + (i % 1000))
hasError := i%100 == 0
collector.RecordRequest(latency, bytes, hasError)
}
collector.Report()
}
9. Summary & Quick Reference
9.1 Alignment Rules Quick Reference
bool
, int8
, uint8
1
1
1
int16
, uint16
2
2
2
int32
, uint32
, float32
4
4
4
int64
, uint64
, float64
8
8
4
complex64
8
8
4
complex128
16
8
4
pointer
, uintptr
8/4
8
4
string
16/8
8
4
slice
24/12
8
4
map
, channel
, func
8/4
8
4
9.2 Optimization Workflow
1. Identify large or frequently-allocated structs
β
2. Analyze current layout (use unsafe.Sizeof, Offsetof, Alignof)
β
3. Sort fields by alignment (largest first)
β
4. Group fields accessed together (cache locality)
β
5. Add cache line padding for concurrent access (if needed)
β
6. Verify with benchmarks
β
7. Document the layout decision
9.3 Key Takeaways
Struct size β sum of field sizes - Padding adds overhead
Field order matters - Can save 30-50% memory
64-bit atomic requires 8-byte alignment - Critical on 32-bit
Cache lines are 64 bytes - Prevent false sharing
Use atomic types - Safer than manual atomic operations
Profile first - Don't optimize prematurely
Document layout decisions - Help future maintainers
9.4 Common Mistakes to Avoid
// β DON'T: Mix small and large fields randomly
type Bad struct {
a bool // 1 byte + 7 padding
b int64 // 8 bytes
c bool // 1 byte + 7 padding
d int64 // 8 bytes
} // 32 bytes
// β DO: Group by size
type Good struct {
b int64 // 8 bytes
d int64 // 8 bytes
a bool // 1 byte
c bool // 1 byte
// 6 bytes padding
} // 24 bytes - 25% smaller!
9.5 Useful Functions Reference
import "unsafe"
// Get size of a type
size := unsafe.Sizeof(variable)
// Get alignment of a type
align := unsafe.Alignof(variable)
// Get offset of struct field
offset := unsafe.Offsetof(structVar.field)
// Using reflect (slower but safer)
import "reflect"
t := reflect.TypeOf(variable)
size := t.Size()
align := t.Align()
fieldAlign := t.FieldAlign()
10. Further Resources
Official Documentation
Tools
go tool compile -S
- View assembly to understand memory layoutgo test -bench -benchmem
- Measure memory allocationspprof
- Profile memory usage in production
Best Practices
Profile before optimizing
Document non-obvious layout decisions
Use code comments to explain padding
Test on both 32-bit and 64-bit if supporting both
Consider using
go vet
for atomic alignment issues (Go 1.22+)
Appendix: Complete Working Examples
Example A: Layout Analyzer Tool
package main
import (
"fmt"
"reflect"
"strings"
"unsafe"
)
type LayoutAnalyzer struct {
typeName string
size uintptr
align uintptr
fields []fieldInfo
}
type fieldInfo struct {
name string
typ string
offset uintptr
size uintptr
align uintptr
}
func AnalyzeStruct(v interface{}) *LayoutAnalyzer {
t := reflect.TypeOf(v)
if t.Kind() == reflect.Ptr {
t = t.Elem()
}
analyzer := &LayoutAnalyzer{
typeName: t.Name(),
size: t.Size(),
align: uintptr(t.Align()),
fields: make([]fieldInfo, 0, t.NumField()),
}
for i := 0; i < t.NumField(); i++ {
field := t.Field(i)
analyzer.fields = append(analyzer.fields, fieldInfo{
name: field.Name,
typ: field.Type.String(),
offset: field.Offset,
size: field.Type.Size(),
align: uintptr(field.Type.Align()),
})
}
return analyzer
}
func (la *LayoutAnalyzer) Print() {
fmt.Printf("\nββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββ\n")
fmt.Printf("β Struct: %-50s β\n", la.typeName)
fmt.Printf("β Size: %d bytes β Alignment: %d bytes%-20sβ\n",
la.size, la.align, "")
fmt.Printf("β βββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββ£\n")
actualSize := uintptr(0)
offset := uintptr(0)
for _, field := range la.fields {
// Padding before field
if field.offset > offset {
padding := field.offset - offset
fmt.Printf("β %s %d bytes)\n",
padRight("[PADDING]", 50), padding)
}
// Field info
fieldStr := fmt.Sprintf("%s (%s)", field.name, field.typ)
fmt.Printf("β %-30s offset:%-5d size:%-4d align:%-4d β\n",
fieldStr, field.offset, field.size, field.align)
actualSize += field.size
offset = field.offset + field.size
}
// Tail padding
if la.size > offset {
padding := la.size - offset
fmt.Printf("β %s %d bytes)\n",
padRight("[TAIL PADDING]", 40), padding)
}
fmt.Printf("β βββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββ£\n")
totalPadding := la.size - actualSize
paddingPct := float64(totalPadding) / float64(la.size) * 100
fmt.Printf("β Field Data: %d bytes β Padding: %d bytes (%.1f%%)%-10sβ\n",
actualSize, totalPadding, paddingPct, "")
fmt.Printf("ββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββ\n")
}
func padRight(s string, length int) string {
if len(s) >= length {
return s
}
return s + strings.Repeat(" ", length-len(s))
}
// Test with various structs
type TestStruct1 struct {
A bool
B int64
C int16
D bool
}
type TestStruct2 struct {
B int64
C int16
A bool
D bool
}
func main() {
fmt.Println("Memory Layout Analysis Tool")
fmt.Println(strings.Repeat("=", 64))
analyzer1 := AnalyzeStruct(TestStruct1{})
analyzer1.Print()
analyzer2 := AnalyzeStruct(TestStruct2{})
analyzer2.Print()
fmt.Printf("\nπ‘ Optimization: Struct2 saves %d bytes (%.1f%% reduction)\n",
analyzer1.size-analyzer2.size,
float64(analyzer1.size-analyzer2.size)/float64(analyzer1.size)*100)
}
Kesimpulan:
Memory layout adalah aspek fundamental dalam pemrograman Go yang sering diabaikan. Dengan memahami alignment, padding, dan optimisasi layout, Anda dapat:
Mengurangi penggunaan memori hingga 30-50%
Meningkatkan performa cache CPU
Menulis concurrent code yang aman dan efisien
Menghindari subtle bugs pada atomic operations
Ingat: Profile first, optimize second. Gunakan pengetahuan ini ketika profiling menunjukkan memory atau performance bottleneck.
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