Crate zk_nalloc 

nalloc: A ZK-Proof optimized memory allocator.

This crate provides a high-performance, deterministic memory allocator specifically designed for Zero-Knowledge proof systems. It is framework-agnostic and works with any ZK system: Halo2, Plonky2, Risc0, SP1, Miden, Cairo, Arkworks, etc.

Features

• Arena-based allocation: Pre-reserved memory pools for different workload types
• Bump allocation: O(1) allocation via atomic pointer increment
• Security-first: Volatile secure wiping for witness data
• Cache-optimized: 64-byte alignment for FFT/NTT SIMD operations
• Cross-platform: Linux, macOS, Windows, and Unix support
• Zero ZK dependencies: Pure memory primitive, no framework lock-in
• Fallback support: Gracefully falls back to system allocator when arena exhausted

Cargo Features

• fallback (default): Fall back to system allocator when arena is exhausted
• huge-pages: Enable Linux 2MB/1GB huge page support
• guard-pages: Add guard pages at arena boundaries for overflow detection
• mlock: Lock witness memory to prevent swapping (security)

Usage

As a global allocator:

use zk_nalloc::NAlloc;

#[global_allocator]
static ALLOC: NAlloc = NAlloc::new();

fn main() {
    let data = vec![0u64; 1000];
    println!("Allocated {} elements", data.len());
}

Using specialized arenas directly:

use zk_nalloc::NAlloc;

let alloc = NAlloc::new();
let witness = alloc.witness();
let ptr = witness.alloc(1024, 8);
assert!(!ptr.is_null());

// Securely wipe when done
unsafe { witness.secure_wipe(); }

Re-exports

pub use arena::ArenaManager;

pub use arena::ArenaStats;

pub use bump::BumpAlloc;

pub use platform::sys;

pub use platform::GuardedAlloc;

pub use platform::HugePageSize;

pub use platform::AllocErrorKind;

pub use platform::AllocFailed;

pub use polynomial::PolynomialArena;

pub use witness::WitnessArena;

pub use config::*;

Modules

arena

Arena Manager for nalloc.

bump

Core bump allocator for nalloc.

config

Configuration constants for nalloc.

platform

Platform-specific memory allocation interface.

polynomial

Polynomial Arena for nalloc.

witness

Witness Arena for nalloc.

Structs

NAlloc

The global ZK-optimized allocator.