std::aligned_storage

Header: <type_traits>

Provides the nested type type, which satisfies TrivialType and StandardLayoutType and suitable for use as uninitialized storage for any object whose size is at most Len and whose alignment requirement is a divisor of Align.

# Declarations

template< std::size_t Len, std::size_t Align = /* default-alignment */ >
struct aligned_storage;

(since C++11) (deprecated in C++23)

# Notes

The type defined by std::aligned_storage<>::type can be used to create uninitialized memory blocks suitable to hold the objects of given type, optionally aligned stricter than their natural alignment requirement, for example on a cache or page boundary.

As with any other uninitialized storage, the objects are created using placement new and destroyed with explicit destructor calls.

# Example

#include <cstddef>
#include <iostream>
#include <new>
#include <string>
#include <type_traits>
 
template<class T, std::size_t N>
class static_vector
{
    // Properly aligned uninitialized storage for N T's
    std::aligned_storage_t<sizeof(T), alignof(T)> data[N];
    std::size_t m_size = 0;
 
public:
    // Create an object in aligned storage
    template<typename ...Args> void emplace_back(Args&&... args)
    {
        if (m_size >= N) // Possible error handling
            throw std::bad_alloc{};
 
        // Construct value in memory of aligned storage using inplace operator new
        ::new(&data[m_size]) T(std::forward<Args>(args)...);
        ++m_size;
    }
 
    // Access an object in aligned storage
    const T& operator[](std::size_t pos) const
    {
        // Note: std::launder is needed after the change of object model in P0137R1
        return *std::launder(reinterpret_cast<const T*>(&data[pos]));
    }
 
    // Destroy objects from aligned storage
    ~static_vector()
    {
        for (std::size_t pos = 0; pos < m_size; ++pos)
            // Note: std::launder is needed after the change of object model in P0137R1
            std::destroy_at(std::launder(reinterpret_cast<T*>(&data[pos])));
    }
};
 
int main()
{
    static_vector<std::string, 10> v1;
    v1.emplace_back(5, '*');
    v1.emplace_back(10, '*');
    std::cout << v1[0] << '\n' << v1[1] << '\n';
}

# See also