using instruments to find memory leaks

To find memory leaks using Instruments, you can utilize the "Leaks" instrument, which takes periodic snapshots of your app's memory to detect leaks. Here's a brief overview of the process:

1. Enable Malloc Stack Logging: In Xcode, you can enable Malloc stack logging in the scheme diagnostics tab. This will help track memory usage and provide backtraces for each allocation.

2. Use the Allocations Instrument: This instrument records the history of all allocation and free events over time, aggregating statistics and call trees to help track these back to your code.

3. Analyze Memory Graphs: Use the Xcode memory graph debugger to capture memory graphs, which are snapshots of all allocations and the references between them. This can help identify why certain allocations persist in memory.

4. Mark Generations: In Instruments, you can use the generation marking feature to isolate persistent allocations created during growth intervals. This helps in identifying which allocations are causing memory growth.

5. Filter and Investigate Leaks: Use the "Show only leaked allocations" button in the filter bar to focus on leaked memory. You can filter down to your project's types to make the investigation more manageable.

6. Resolve Reference Cycles: For most leaks, the goal is to find and fix one reference in a cycle, such as removing an accidental reference or changing an ownership qualifier from strong to weak or unowned.

For more detailed guidance, you can refer to the session Analyze heap memory (20:16) which covers reachability and ensuring memory is deallocated appropriately.