How to free the value inside struct in c

Question

I don't know how to reset the value field inside the Hello struct. It's a pointer pointed to an outside passed input argument.

typedef struct Hello {
    void *value;
} Hello;

Hello* create_hello() {
    Hello* hello = malloc(sizeof(Hello));
    hello->value = NULL;
    return hello;
}

set_value(Hello *hello, void *value) {
    hello->value = value;
}

void free_hello(Hello *hello) {
    /** Should I set the value to NULL before freeing the hello? */
    hello->value = NULL;
    
    /** Free the hello */
    free(hello);
    
    /** Set hello to NULL inside the free_hello()? */
    hello = NULL;
}

Here is the test_function:

test_function(void* value) {
    Hello *hello = create_hello();
    set_value(hello, value);
    
    free_hello(hello);
    
    /** Set hello to NULL inside the test_function()? */
    hello = NULL;
}

Should I execute hello->value = NULL; inside the free_hello in order to reset the hello->value to the default NULL status?
Should I execute hello = NULL; inside the free_hello() or test_function() after freeing the struct with free()?

As mentioned in the answer below, hello = NULL; in test_function has no effect because hello is a local. You could change test_function to get a void** (pointer to pointer), so that you'll be able to set the pointer on the caller side to NULL. — wohlstad
– wohlstad, Commented Oct 14 at 5:55
@stackbiz For what reason do you set these pointers to NULL ? — xavier-gl71
– xavier-gl71, Commented Nov 2 at 9:33

dbush · Accepted Answer · 2025-10-14 03:29:33Z

7

Should I call hello->value = NULL; inside the free_hello in order to reset the hello->value to the default NULL status?

There's no need because you call free(hello) on the next line, so the pointer value becomes indeterminate, effectively meaning you shouldn't read it.

Should I call hello = NULL; inside the free_hello() or test_function() after freeing the struct with free()?

Setting hello to NULL inside of free_hello has no effect because it's a local variable to the function. Whether you do so with the variable from the calling function depends on what you intend to do with it later, but is typically a good idea so you don't have a freed pointer dangling around.

answered Oct 14 at 3:29

dbush

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Comments

chux · Accepted Answer · 2025-10-14 14:17:35Z

Some additional thoughts to @dbush good answer.

Should I execute hello->value = NULL; inside the free_hello in order to reset the hello->value to the default NULL status?

Right after free(hello);, as hello is indeterminant, attempting hello->value is undefined behavior (UB).

Debugging: Yet performing hello->value = NULL; before the free(hello) can improve debugging as it may improve the chance of detecting later invalid use of the pointer that was in hello->value. This generally improves detection yet not a certainly. The assignment hello->value = NULL; before the free(hello) may get optimized out by an intelligent compiler. One might need additional code (e.g. a cast to a volatile data) to prevent such optimization. Code could perform hello->value = NULL; only in debug mode, yet that carries a disadvantage of injecting a small change between the debug compilation and release one yet has consequences.

Security: performing hello->value = NULL; before the free(hello) might improve security by not leaving tell-tale information in the free'd memory. Again, this assignment may get optimized out as discussed above. Note that security of data is a deep subject and zeroing is only a beginner step.

I see usefulness in always performing hello->value = NULL; and little downside. Since it is not obviously needed, a comment should accompany such code to outline why it is there.

C23 offers a clean way to assign data that might otherwise get optimized out. memset_explicit() is self documenting, lessening the the needed for a comment as suggested above. As a standard library function, a good compiler can be expected to emit efficient code - perhaps just a simple assignment.

The purpose of this function is to make sensitive information stored in the object inaccessible C23dr § 7.26.6.2 2
The intention is that the memory store is always performed (i.e. never elided), regardless of optimizations. This is in contrast to calls to the memset function. Footnote 367

memset_explicit(&data, 0, sizeof data);
// or in OP's case: zero entire object that `hello` points to
memset_explicit(hello, 0, sizeof hello[0]);

Should I execute hello = NULL; inside the free_hello() or test_function() after freeing the struct with free()?

Again, this can improve debugging, yet may get optimized out. Likewise, if used, comment such code to explain its apparent unnecessity.

As @wohlstad suggested, a re-write of the function signature is useful to alleviate the calling code's needed to zero the pointer.

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