How does Objective-C bridge to C memory management?

Updated May 17, 2026

Short answer

Bridging requires explicit ownership management between ARC and Core Foundation.

Deep explanation

ARC manages NSObject lifetimes, but Core Foundation uses manual retain/release. Bridging keywords like __bridge, __bridge_transfer, and CFBridgingRelease define ownership transfer rules. Incorrect bridging causes leaks or double frees.

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