# Space Complexity

> A measure of how an algorithm's memory use grows as its input grows.

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

Listed in [Architecture principles](https://banes-lab.com/api/records/architecture.md), after [Time Complexity](https://banes-lab.com/records/architecture/time-complexity.md) and before [Big O Notation](https://banes-lab.com/records/architecture/big-o-notation.md).

## Repair

- Refactored by: Stream Data, Use Iterator, Chunk Processing
- Detected by: memory profiling, [full materialization](https://banes-lab.com/records/lexicon/full-materialization.md)
- Violated by: loading unbounded data into memory
- Measured by: Big O space, peak memory
- Enforced by: memory benchmarks

## Requires

- [Memory Model](https://banes-lab.com/records/lexicon/memory-model.md)

## Reinforces

- [Resource Utilization](https://banes-lab.com/records/architecture/resource-utilization.md)

## Enables

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

## Conflicts with

- [Unbounded Memory Growth](https://banes-lab.com/records/lexicon/unbounded-memory-growth.md)

## In tension with

- [Time Complexity](https://banes-lab.com/records/architecture/time-complexity.md)

## Tensions

- [Space Complexity / Time Complexity](https://banes-lab.com/records/tension/space-complexity-time-complexity.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)

## Linked from

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