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[GH-ISSUE #972] Possible memory leak with cairo widgets #7326

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opened 2026-05-23 02:53:55 +01:00 by JakeStanger · 4 comments

JakeStanger commented

2026-05-23 02:53:55 +01:00

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Originally created by @kafeinnet on GitHub (May 12, 2025).
Original GitHub issue: https://github.com/JakeStanger/ironbar/issues/972

Describe the bug

If I add a cairo widget, the memory usage of the ironbar process increase quite quickly.
The process is OOM-killed after ~1h of idling.

To reproduce
Steps to reproduce the behavior:

Add a simple cairomodule (see below for the code)
Monitor the memory usage of the ironbar process
Wait a little bit and observe the memory usage increase
Repeat without this test widget and observe the memory usage not increasing

Expected behavior

The memory usage of the ironbar process should not increase.

System information:

Distro: I use Arch Linux btw
Compositor: niri
Ironbar version: git

Configuration

Config

{
  $test = {
    orientation = "horizontal"
    direction = "vertical"
    name = "test"
    type = "cairo"
    path = "/home/fab/.config/ironbar/lua/test.lua"
    frequency = 500
    width = 20
    height = 200
  }
} in {
  monitors.DP-1 = {
    anchor_to_edges = true
    position = "left"
    start = [
      $test
    ]
    center = [
    ]
    end = [
    ]
  }
}

Widget lua code

function draw(cr)
  -- Draw widget
  local y = 20
  local x = 20

  cr:set_font_size(16)
  cr:move_to(x, y)
  cr:show_text("A")

  return 0
end

Additional context

I observed this behavior on two computers, both on Arch Linux.

Originally created by @kafeinnet on GitHub (May 12, 2025). Original GitHub issue: https://github.com/JakeStanger/ironbar/issues/972 **Describe the bug** If I add a cairo widget, the memory usage of the ironbar process increase quite quickly. The process is OOM-killed after ~1h of idling. **To reproduce** Steps to reproduce the behavior: 1. Add a simple `cairo`module (see below for the code) 2. Monitor the memory usage of the ironbar process 3. Wait a little bit and observe the memory usage increase 4. Repeat without this `test` widget and observe the memory usage not increasing **Expected behavior** The memory usage of the ironbar process should not increase. **System information:** - Distro: I use Arch Linux btw - Compositor: niri - Ironbar version: git **Configuration** <details><summary>Config</summary> ```corn { $test = { orientation = "horizontal" direction = "vertical" name = "test" type = "cairo" path = "/home/fab/.config/ironbar/lua/test.lua" frequency = 500 width = 20 height = 200 } } in { monitors.DP-1 = { anchor_to_edges = true position = "left" start = [ $test ] center = [ ] end = [ ] } } ``` </details> <details><summary>Widget lua code</summary> ```lua function draw(cr) -- Draw widget local y = 20 local x = 20 cr:set_font_size(16) cr:move_to(x, y) cr:show_text("A") return 0 end ``` </details> **Additional context** I observed this behavior on two computers, both on Arch Linux.

JakeStanger

2026-05-23 02:53:55 +01:00

closed this issue
added the
M:Cairo

T:Bug

P:Critical

A:Client
labels

JakeStanger commented

2026-05-23 02:53:55 +01:00

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Owner

@kafeinnet commented on GitHub (May 12, 2025):

To be sure, I graphed the memory usage with and without a cairo plugin (and my full config).

With a cairo widget:

Without a cairo widget:

@kafeinnet commented on GitHub (May 12, 2025): To be sure, I graphed the memory usage with and without a cairo plugin (and my full config). With a cairo widget: ![Image](https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/e43782ed-39fe-41d6-91df-d231882f42a3) Without a cairo widget: ![Image](https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/fa2f3d0d-12ef-4d9e-99c1-af32401cec38)

JakeStanger commented

2026-05-23 02:53:55 +01:00

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Owner

@JakeStanger commented on GitHub (May 12, 2025):

Thanks for the detailed report. What's the unit for the bottom axis?

@JakeStanger commented on GitHub (May 12, 2025): Thanks for the detailed report. What's the unit for the bottom axis?

JakeStanger commented

2026-05-23 02:53:55 +01:00

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Owner

@kafeinnet commented on GitHub (May 12, 2025):

That's the time in seconds since the measuring started (one measure per second).

@kafeinnet commented on GitHub (May 12, 2025): That's the time in seconds since the measuring started (one measure per second).

JakeStanger commented

2026-05-23 02:53:56 +01:00

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Owner

@JakeStanger commented on GitHub (May 14, 2025):

Got it. Turns out if you increase a reference count you gotta decrease it again. Who knew...

Not even Rust is safe.

I've made some slight changes elsewhere that should have a (very small) improvement on memory/performance in addition.

@JakeStanger commented on GitHub (May 14, 2025): Got it. Turns out if you increase a reference count you gotta decrease it again. Who knew... Not even Rust is safe. I've made some slight changes elsewhere that should have a (very small) improvement on memory/performance in addition.