A Systematic Mapping Review of Memory Leak Detection Techniques

Numerous problems investigated in Software Aging and Rejuvenation (SAR) research are also of interest of other research communities. One of these problems is memory leak detection, which is one of the most recurrent topic in the SAR literature in its twenty-three years. Due to this major interest of SAR researchers on memory leak detection techniques, naturally a question emerges: how other areas deal with this problem? To answer this question we surveyed the main scientific digital libraries, from 1982 to 2017, looking for studies on memory-leak detection that were not originated in the SAR community. We found 105 papers that matched our inclusion and exclusion criteria. Our method was based on the systematic mapping review approach. The empirical findings revealed several intersections of SAR research with studies conducted in other areas, offering interesting insights on different research cooperation opportunities.