Applications of weak_ptr
The following are the primary applications of the weak_ptr:
- Preventing Circular References: The primary application of weak_ptr is to prevent circular references. When an object wants to reference another object without owning it, it can use weak_ptr. This ensures that no circular references are created and objects can be safely freed when they are no longer needed.
- Cache Systems: weak_ptr is commonly used in cache implementations. Caches often need to temporarily store references to objects without preventing the deletion of those objects when they are no longer in use. weak_ptr provides an elegant solution for this use case.
weak_ptr in C++
The weak_ptr is one of the smart pointers that provide the capability of a pointer with some reduced risks as compared to the raw pointer. The weak_ptr, just like shared_ptr has the capability to point to the resource owned by another shared_ptr but without owning it. In other words, they are able to create a non-owning reference to the object managed by shared_ptr.
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