CurriculumDestructors
Destructors
A <strong>Destructor</strong> is the opposite of a Constructor. It runs automatically when an object is destroyed. Its job is to release any resources the object was managing. Defined with <code>~ClassName()</code>.
01Your First Destructor
Destructors run in REVERSE order of creation. Notice the order in the output carefully.
main.cpp
Terminal
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02Destructor Freeing Heap Memory
If the constructor allocates heap memory, the destructor MUST free it. This is RAII in practice.
main.cpp
Terminal
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03Destructor Ordering with Inheritance
When a derived object is destroyed, the derived destructor runs FIRST, then the base destructor.
main.cpp
Terminal
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04Virtual Destructor (Critical)
Without a virtual destructor in the base class, deleting a derived object through a base pointer only runs the base destructor, leaking derived resources!
main.cpp
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05Rule of Three
If a class needs a custom Destructor, it almost certainly also needs a custom Copy Constructor and Copy Assignment Operator. Without them, two objects share the same heap memory and deleting one corrupts the other.
main.cpp
Terminal
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AI Tutor
If your class holds raw pointers to heap memory, the destructor is your guaranteed chance to release them.