title: Slab Allocator Performance Comparison
body: <p>I'm looking at revamping our malloc() in our operating system kernel. We currently use dlmalloc, but I'd like a homebrew solution that we can edit without having to work on a thousand-line file.</p>
  
  <p>I've decided to look into the slab allocator (Bonwick94) and I believe it's the right choice. So far I understand the concept and am ready to implement it. However, I'd like to get a picture of the performance comparison before I begin work.</p>
  
  <p>Assuming that layers below the malloc (vmem, pmem, etc...) have neglible impact, how does the slab allocator compare to, say, dlmalloc, and other common malloc implementations (buddy, best-fit/first-fit, hybrids)? </p>