std::unique_ptr

template<
    class T,
    class Deleter = std::default_delete<T>
> class unique_ptr;

template <
    class T,
    class Deleter
> class unique_ptr<T[], Deleter>;

std::unique_ptr is a smart pointer that retains sole ownership of an object through a pointer and destroys that object when the unique_ptr goes out of scope. No two unique_ptr instances can manage the same object.

The object is destroyed and its memory deallocated when either of the following happens:

• unique_ptr managing the object is destroyed
• unique_ptr managing the object is assigned another pointer via operator= or reset().

The object is destroyed using a potentially user-supplied deleter by calling Deleter(ptr). The deleter calls the destructor of the object and dispenses the memory.

A unique_ptr may alternatively own no object, in which case it is called empty.

There are two versions of std::unique_ptr:

The class satisfies the requirements of MoveConstructible and MoveAssignable, but not the requirements of either CopyConstructible or CopyAssignable.

Notes

Only non-const unique_ptr can transfer the ownership of the managed object to another unique_ptr. The lifetime of an object managed by const std::unique_ptr is limited to the scope in which the pointer was created.

Typical uses of std::unique_ptr include:

• providing exception safety to classes and functions that handle objects with dynamic lifetime, by guaranteeing deletion on both normal exit and exit through exception
• passing ownership of uniquely-owned objects with dynamic lifetime into functions
• acquiring ownership of uniquely-owned objects with dynamic lifetime from functions
• as the element type in move-aware containers, such as std::vector, which hold pointers to dynamically-allocated objects (e.g. if polymorphic behavior is desired)

std::unique_ptr may be constructed for an incomplete type T, such as to facilitate the use as a handle in the Pimpl idiom. If the default deleter is used, T must be complete at the point in code where the deleter is invoked, which happens in the destructor, move assignment operator, and reset member function of std::unique_ptr. (Conversely, std::shared_ptr can't be constructed from a raw pointer to incomplete type, but can be destroyed where T is incomplete).

If T is a derived class of some base B, then std::unique_ptr<T> is implicitly convertible to std::unique_ptr<B>. The default deleter of the resulting std::unique_ptr<B> will use operator delete for B, leading to undefined behavior unless the destructor of B is virtual. Note that std::shared_ptr behaves differently: std::shared_ptr<B> will use the operator delete for the type T and the owned object will be deleted correctly even if the destructor of B is not virtual.

Unlike std::shared_ptr, std::unique_ptr may manage an object through any custom handle type that satisfies NullablePointer. This allows, for example, managing objects located in shared memory, by supplying a Deleter that defines typedef boost::offset_ptr pointer;

Member types

Member functions

Non-member functions

Helper classes

Example

#include <iostream>
#include <memory>
 
struct Foo
{
    Foo()      { std::cout << "Foo::Foo\n";  }
    ~Foo()     { std::cout << "Foo::~Foo\n"; }
    void bar() { std::cout << "Foo::bar\n";  }
};
 
void f(const Foo &)
{
    std::cout << "f(const Foo&)\n";
}
 
int main()
{
    std::unique_ptr<Foo> p1(new Foo);  // p1 owns Foo
    if (p1) p1->bar();
 
    {
        std::unique_ptr<Foo> p2(std::move(p1));  // now p2 owns Foo
        f(*p2);
 
        p1 = std::move(p2);  // ownership returns to p1
        std::cout << "destroying p2...\n";
    }
 
    if (p1) p1->bar();
 
    // Foo instance is destroyed when p1 goes out of scope
}

Foo::Foo
Foo::bar
f(const Foo&)
destroying p2...
Foo::bar
Foo::~Foo