nodejs/node · error

out of memory\n

Error message

out of memory\n

What it means

`BrotliDecoderCreateInstance(NULL, NULL, NULL)` returned NULL during decoder initialization in `InitDecoder`. The decoder allocator (which defaults to the system `malloc` when custom allocators are NULL) could not allocate the decoder state structure. This is an out-of-memory condition at the very start of decompression.

Source

Thrown at deps/brotli/c/tools/brotli.c:1201

      if (context->comment_pos >= context->comment_len) {
        context->comment_state = COMMENT_BAD;
        return;
      }
      if (context->comment[context->comment_pos++] != data[i]) {
        context->comment_state = COMMENT_BAD;
        return;
      }
    }
    if (context->comment_pos == context->comment_len) {
      context->comment_state = COMMENT_OK;
    }
  }
}

static BROTLI_BOOL InitDecoder(Context* context) {
  context->decoder = BrotliDecoderCreateInstance(NULL, NULL, NULL);
  if (!context->decoder) {
    fprintf(stderr, "out of memory\n");
    return BROTLI_FALSE;
  }
  /* This allows decoding "large-window" streams. Though it creates
      fragmentation (new builds decode streams that old builds don't),
      it is better from used experience perspective. */
  BrotliDecoderSetParameter(
      context->decoder, BROTLI_DECODER_PARAM_LARGE_WINDOW, 1u);
  if (context->dictionary) {
    BrotliDecoderAttachDictionary(context->decoder,
        BROTLI_SHARED_DICTIONARY_RAW, context->dictionary_size,
        context->dictionary);
  }
  return BROTLI_TRUE;
}

static BROTLI_BOOL DecompressFile(Context* context) {
  BrotliDecoderState* s = context->decoder;
  BrotliDecoderResult result = BROTLI_DECODER_RESULT_NEEDS_MORE_INPUT;

View on GitHub (pinned to 1b2de5e052)

Solutions

1. Increase available memory: raise container/cgroup limits or add swap.
2. Reduce the number of concurrent brotli processes.
3. Check and raise `ulimit -v` and `ulimit -d` if they are restrictive.
4. On 32-bit, use a 64-bit build of brotli.
5. Monitor system memory (`free -m`, `dmesg` for OOM-killer events) to confirm the cause.

#include <sys/sysinfo.h>
#include <stdbool.h>

bool enough_memory_for_decoder(void) {
    struct sysinfo si;
    if (sysinfo(&si) != 0) return true;
    unsigned long long freeram = (unsigned long long)si.freeram * si.mem_unit;
    // Decoder state is small (tens of KB) but needs headroom under pressure
    return freeram > 1 * 1024 * 1024; // at least 1 MB free
}

When it happens

Trigger: System memory is exhausted; container memory cgroup limit reached; `ulimit -v` (virtual memory) or `ulimit -d` (data segment) set too low for the decoder's internal structures; a 32-bit build with insufficient address space under heavy load.

Common situations: Running brotli inside a tightly constrained container (e.g. Docker with `--memory=64m`); many concurrent decompression processes competing for heap; embedded system with limited RAM; CI runner under memory pressure from parallel jobs.

Related errors

• could not read dictionary: out of memory\n
• Error allocating memory for pkgDataFlags.\n
• U_MEMORY_ALLOCATION_ERROR
• U_MEMORY_ALLOCATION_ERROR
• U_MEMORY_ALLOCATION_ERROR

AI-assisted analysis of nodejs/node@1b2de5e052 (2026-08-13). Data as JSON: /api/errors/c6d38dc2479ef7a4. Report an issue: GitHub.