Mastering Smart Pointers - shared ptr & weak ptr

Master modern C++ memory management & build leak‑free, exception‑safe, production code
What you'll learn
Diagnose and eliminate memory leaks, dangling references, and ownership cycles in real projects
Refactor legacy raw-pointer code to robust, maintainable smart‑pointer architectures
Apply smart pointers to thread-safe designs, RAII patterns, and exception‑safe code
Design APIs that communicate ownership clearly and avoid hidden copies
Pass, return, and store shared_ptr in APIs and STL containers with correct value/reference semantics
Requirements
Comfortable reading and writing basic C++
Familiar with C++11 syntax features like auto, range‑for, move semantics at a high level; deep expertise is not required
Description
This course is a practical deep dive into modern C++ memory management through the lens of std::shared_ptr, designed to replace guesswork with clear mental models and repeatable patterns. Starting from basic usage, then copying, moving, resetting, and integrating shared_ptr into function arguments and return types-it builds toward fluency with containers, polymorphism, and multithreading so lifetimes remain correct even as designs grow more complex.Along the way, lessons confront real bugs head‑on: uninitialized and dangling pointers, memory leaks, and subtle ownership mistakes that typically hide in large codebases. Then the course opens the hood to show how shared_ptr actually works: reference counts, control blocks, weak count, so behavior becomes predictable rather than mysterious. You'll apply custom deleters to manage non‑memory resources cleanly - file pointers, file handles, dynamic linked library handles, and descriptors-so RAII consistently extends beyond heap objects.Because performance and debuggability matter in production, the curriculum contrasts make_shared with direct new, explains allocation and layout implications, and highlights differences observed across MSVC, GCC, and Clang. Ownership patterns are the capstone: when and how to use shared ownership, where weak_ptr fits, how to model temporary borrowing safely, and how to break cycles in graphs, observers, and caches. The end result is confidence: the ability to read, design, and refactor code that is leak‑free, exception‑safe, and maintainable-backed by small, runnable examples that make each concept stick.
Who this course is for
Motivated beginners who know the C++ basics and for intermediates looking to master smart pointers.
No prior experience with smart pointers, allocators, or advanced RAII patterns is required
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