ZeroAlloc.Collections 1.1.1

ZeroAlloc.Collections

ZeroAlloc.Collections is a high-performance, zero-allocation collections library for .NET. It provides six collection types — each available as a ref struct for stack-only scenarios and as a heap-allocated class for use in async code, fields, and DI containers. All collections rent their backing storage from ArrayPool<T>.Shared, return it on Dispose(), and expose Span<T> accessors for tight inner loops. Source generators are included for emitting specialized, type-specific collection implementations at compile time.

Install

dotnet add package ZeroAlloc.Collections

Example

PooledList

using ZeroAlloc.Collections;

using var list = new PooledList<int>(capacity: 64);

list.Add(1);
list.Add(2);
list.Add(3);

foreach (var item in list)
{
    Console.WriteLine(item);
}

The list rents from ArrayPool<T>.Shared on construction and returns the buffer when Dispose() runs — zero heap allocation for the backing array.

RingBuffer

using ZeroAlloc.Collections;

using var ring = new RingBuffer<string>(capacity: 4);

ring.TryWrite("alpha");
ring.TryWrite("beta");
ring.TryWrite("gamma");

while (ring.TryRead(out var item))
{
    Console.WriteLine(item); // alpha, beta, gamma
}

A fixed-capacity circular buffer suitable for producer/consumer queues, telemetry windows, and bounded logging.

Features

• Zero Allocation — all pooled collections rent from ArrayPool<T>.Shared and return buffers on disposal
• Ref Struct Variants — stack-only types with compile-time lifetime enforcement and ref T indexers
• Heap Variants — class-based counterparts that implement IDisposable, IList<T>, and IReadOnlyList<T> for use in async methods and DI
• Span Accessors — AsSpan() and AsReadOnlySpan() on every collection for zero-copy interop
• Source Generators — emit type-specific collections, pooled wrappers, and ref struct enumerators at compile time
• Analyzer Diagnostics — build-time warnings for undisposed collections and accidental ref struct copies
• Multi-TFM — targets netstandard2.1, net8.0, and net9.0 (allows ref struct on .NET 9)
• Native AOT Compatible — no reflection, no dynamic code generation

Collections

Documentation

License

MIT