# Memory Efficiency

> The degree to which a process handles its input with bounded memory, by streaming or chunking instead of loading it whole.

Record: `architecture:memory-efficiency`
Kind: quality-attribute
Layer: [Performance Core](https://banes-lab.com/records/layer/performance-core.md)
Severity: contextual
Scope: algorithm, process, stream
Canonical: https://banes-lab.com/ontology#architecture-memory-efficiency

Listed in [Architecture principles](https://banes-lab.com/api/records/architecture.md), after [Rate Limiting](https://banes-lab.com/records/architecture/rate-limiting.md) and before [CDN / Edge Caching](https://banes-lab.com/records/architecture/cdn-edge-caching.md).

## Repair

- Refactored by: Stream, Chunk, Use Iterator
- Detected by: memory profile spikes
- Violated by: loading unbounded data into memory
- Measured by: peak memory, allocation rate
- Enforced by: memory benchmarks

## Requires

- [Space Complexity Awareness](https://banes-lab.com/records/lexicon/space-complexity-awareness.md)

## Reinforces

- [Scalability](https://banes-lab.com/records/architecture/scalability.md)

## Enables

- [Large Input Handling](https://banes-lab.com/records/lexicon/large-input-handling.md)

## Conflicts with

- [Full Materialization](https://banes-lab.com/records/lexicon/full-materialization.md)

## In tension with

- [CPU Cost](https://banes-lab.com/records/lexicon/cpu-cost.md)

## Tensions

- [Memory Efficiency / CPU Cost](https://banes-lab.com/records/tension/cpu-cost-memory-efficiency.md)

## Severity

- [contextual](https://banes-lab.com/records/vocabulary/severity-contextual.md)

## Category

- [Scalability / Performance / Optimization](https://banes-lab.com/records/architecture-category/scalability-performance-optimization.md)

## Reinforced by

- [Flyweight Pattern](https://banes-lab.com/records/architecture/flyweight-pattern.md)
- [Single-Pass Processing](https://banes-lab.com/records/architecture/single-pass-processing.md)
- [Lazy Evaluation](https://banes-lab.com/records/architecture/lazy-evaluation.md)
- [Sequential Access](https://banes-lab.com/records/architecture/sequential-access.md)

## Linked from

- [Structural Patterns](https://banes-lab.com/ontology/principles/architecture-category-structural-patterns.md)
- [Scalability / Performance / Optimization](https://banes-lab.com/ontology/principles/architecture-category-scalability-performance-optimization.md)
- [Streaming / Pipeline / Dataflow Processing](https://banes-lab.com/ontology/principles/architecture-category-streaming-pipeline-dataflow-processing.md)
- [Core Vocabulary](https://banes-lab.com/ontology/lexicon/lexicon-category-core-vocabulary.md)
- [Scalability / Performance / Optimization](https://banes-lab.com/ontology/lexicon/lexicon-category-scalability-performance-optimization.md)
- [Severity levels](https://banes-lab.com/ontology/schema/the-vocabulary-severity.md)
- [The resolutions](https://banes-lab.com/ontology/schema/the-resolutions.md)