How to Fix Segmentation Faults?

We can fix segmentation faults by being careful about the causes mentioned:

• Avoid modifying string literals.
• Being careful when using pointers as they are one of the most common causes.
• Considering the buffer and stack size before storing the data to avoid buffer or stack overflow.
• Checking for bounds before accessing array elements.
• Use scanf() and printf() carefully to avoid incorrect format specifiers or buffer overflow.

Overall, the cause of the segmentation fault is accessing the memory that does not belong to you in that space. As long as we avoid doing that, we can avoid the segmentation fault. If you cannot find the source of the error even after doing it, it is recommended to use a debugger as it directly leads to the point of error in the program.

Segmentation faults in C or C++ is an error that occurs when a program attempts to access a memory location it does not have permission to access. Generally, this error occurs when memory access is violated and is a type of general protection fault. Segfaults are the abbreviation for segmentation faults.

The core dump refers to the recording of the state of the program, i.e. its resources in memory and processor. Trying to access non-existent memory or memory which is being used by other processes also causes the Segmentation Fault which leads to a core dump.

A program has access to specific regions of memory while it is running. First, the stack is used to hold the local variables for each function. Moreover, it might have memory allocated at runtime and saved on the heap (new in C++ and you may also hear it called the “free store“). The only memory that the program is permitted to access is it’s own (the memory previously mentioned). A segmentation fault will result from any access outside of that region. 

Segmentation fault is a specific kind of error caused by accessing memory that “does not belong to you“:

• When a piece of code tries to do a read-and-write operation in a read-only location in memory or freed block of memory, it is known as a segmentation fault.
• It is an error indicating memory corruption.