SPrinter

A static coding style checker for detecting API misuses of C++ smart pointers that will probably lead to memory errors like memory leak, use after free, and double free.

Usage

Download

clang-tidy with SPrinter (SHA256SUM cc04e23416ef3896fd5c6a37b8d0f0757b41e10197cb171b0890ffe0e3d1466f)

Source code repository: https://github.com/Snape3058/SPrinter

Build SPrinter: Build LLVM with subproject clang and clang-tools-extra enabled by following the LLVM CMake build instruction: https://releases.llvm.org/9.0.0/docs/CMake.html

tl;dr:

/path/to/sprinter-root/build$ cmake ../llvm -DLLVM_ENABLE_PROJECTS=clang;clang-tools-extra
/path/to/sprinter-root/build$ make clang-tidy

Tool Usage

• Using clang-tidy.
• Using clang-tidy with IDEs or editors.
• To use SPrinter, please enable the smartpointersafety- prefix for all the error patterns mentioned above.

E.g.

$ clang-tidy -checks='-*,smartpointersafety-*' source.cpp

Error Patterns

smartpointersafety-autoptr-in-container

Report an auto_ptr template argument used in an STL container.

std::vector<std::auto_ptr<int>> vi;
^
Warn here

smartpointersafety-autoptr-ownership-transfer

Report all the memory transfer from one auto_ptr to another.

std::auto_ptr<int> p1(new int(42));
void foo(std::auto_ptr<int> p);

foo(p1);
    ^
Warn here

smartpointersafety-deallocating-observer-pointer

Report the operation that deletes the pointer from smart pointer observers.

std::unique_ptr<int> p = std::make_unique<int>(42);
delete p.get();
       ^
   Warn here

smartpointersafety-non-allocated-memory-initiation

Report the initiations with non-allocated memory.

int I;
std::unique_ptr<int> p(&I);
                       ^
                   Warn here

smartpointersafety-private-autoptr-in-class

Report a private auto_ptr field in a class without copy constructors and assignment operators.

class Type {
  private:
    std::auto_ptr<int> p;
    ^
Warn here
};

smartpointersafety-raw-pointer-initiation

Report the construction of a smart pointer with a raw pointer variable.

void foo(int *p) {
    std::unique_ptr<int> sp(p);
                            ^
                        Warn here
}

smartpointersafety-type-mismatch-initiation

Report the mismatched type of template argument and new operator for smart pointer constructions.

std::auto_ptr<int> sp(new int[42]);
                      ^
                  Warn here

smartpointersafety-unchecked-locked-weak-pointer

Report the usages of unchecked locked weak_ptrs.

std::weak_ptr<int> wp;
   ...
*wp.lock() = 42;
^
Warn here

smartpointersafety-undeallocated-released-pointer

Report the released pointer that are not dealocated.

std::unique_ptr<int> sp;
   ...
*sp.release() = 42;
 ^
Warn here

Benchmark

The open-source projects used in Table III are listed as follows.

• CC: https://github.com/centreon/centreon-clib (commit: 537fec722863f6d3e90e36c8db1987462d2d16ae)
• CH: https://github.com/yandex/ClickHouse (commit: 142bcc58f4e0ad897a9f74a5562912438722176f)
• CS: https://github.com/artyom-beilis/cppcms (commit: 270634e69f63e43e0e8ff5fa1713187cb4282ca4)
• GS: https://github.com/libgeos/geos (commit: 75c286d5b65caf47ffb46e37707568bf4f9cd387)
• LP: https://github.com/llvm-project/llvm (commit: e03301a3b32d048d8975e0fe21d80489505415c8, subproject: llvm)
• MS: https://github.com/mysql/mysql-server (commit: ee4455a33b10f1b1886044322e4893f587b319ed)
• OT: https://github.com/savoirfairelinux/opendht (commit: e4516772eecb13e847d34afa24be8f7e269da903)
• VC: https://github.com/piandpower/vmpc (commit: 8a4e62ff6dbb455dc0c9c21c1d8d48ff13dd29f0)

Publication

• YouTube Video Introduction.
• ASE 2019 Tool Demonstration Paper.