Memory-Mapped Files (OS)

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Files mapped directly into a process’s virtual address space using mmap. Enables zero-copy I/O — reading and writing files as if they were arrays in memory. The OS handles paging file contents in and out of RAM transparently.

Key Properties

• mmap System Call
• Zero-Copy IO
• Lazy Loading

Related

• Virtual Memory (memory-mapped files leverage the VM system)
• Paging (file pages are demand-loaded like regular pages)

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operating-systems memory io