In
computer programming,
resource management refers to techniques for managing
resources (components with limited availability). It includes both preventing
resource leaks (releasing a resource when a process has finished using it) and dealing with
resource contention (when multiple processes wish to access a limited resource). Resource leaks are an issue in sequential computing, while resource contention is an issue in
concurrent computing. This article discusses preventing resource leaks; see
resource contention for resource management in that sense.