m01-ownership

# Ownership & Lifetimes

> **Layer 1: Language Mechanics**

## Core Question

**Who should own this data, and for how long?**

Before fixing ownership errors, understand the data's role:
- Is it shared or exclusive?
- Is it short-lived or long-lived?
- Is it transformed or just read?

---

## Error → Design Question

| Error | Don't Just Say | Ask Instead |
|-------|----------------|-------------|
| E0382 | "Clone it" | Who should own this data? |
| E0597 | "Extend lifetime" | Is the scope boundary correct? |
| E0506 | "End borrow first" | Should mutation happen elsewhere? |
| E0507 | "Clone before move" | Why are we moving from a reference? |
| E0515 | "Return owned" | Should caller own the data? |
| E0716 | "Bind to variable" | Why is this temporary? |
| E0106 | "Add 'a" | What is the actual lifetime relationship? |

---

## Thinking Prompt

Before fixing an ownership error, ask:

1. **What is this data's domain role?**
   - Entity (unique identity) → owned
   - Value Object (interchangeable) → clone/copy OK
   - Temporary (computation result) → maybe restructure

2. **Is the ownership design intentional?**
   - By design → work within constraints
   - Accidental → consider redesign

3. **Fix symptom or redesign?**
   - If Strike 3 (3rd attempt) → escalate to Layer 2

---

## Trace Up ↑

When errors persist, trace to design layer:

```
E0382 (moved value)
    ↑ Ask: What design choice led to this ownership pattern?
    ↑ Check: m09-domain (is this Entity or Value Object?)
    ↑ Check: domain-* (what constraints apply?)
```

| Persistent Error | Trace To | Question |
|-----------------|----------|----------|
| E0382 repeated | m02-resource | Should use Arc/Rc for sharing? |
| E0597 repeated | m09-domain | Is scope boundary at right place? |
| E0506/E0507 | m03-mutability | Should use interior mutability? |

---

## Trace Down ↓

From design decisions to implementation:

```
"Data needs to be shared immutably"
    ↓ Use: Arc<T> (multi-thread) or Rc<T> (single-thread)

"Data needs exclusive ownership"
    ↓ Use: move semantics, take ownership

"Data is read-only view"
    ↓ Use: &T (immutable borrow)
```

---

## Quick Reference

| Pattern | Ownership | Cost | Use When |
|---------|-----------|------|----------|
| Move | Transfer | Zero | Caller doesn't need data |
| `&T` | Borrow | Zero | Read-only access |
| `&mut T` | Exclusive borrow | Zero | Need to modify |
| `clone()` | Duplicate | Alloc + copy | Actually need a copy |
| `Rc<T>` | Shared (single) | Ref count | Single-thread sharing |
| `Arc<T>` | Shared (multi) | Atomic ref count | Multi-thread sharing |
| `Cow<T>` | Clone-on-write | Alloc if mutated | Might modify |

## Error Code Reference

| Error | Cause | Quick Fix |
|-------|-------|-----------|
| E0382 | Value moved | Clone, reference, or redesign ownership |
| E0597 | Reference outlives owner | Extend owner scope or restructure |
| E0506 | Assign while borrowed | End borrow before mutation |
| E0507 | Move out of borrowed | Clone or use reference |
| E0515 | Return local reference | Return owned value |
| E0716 | Temporary dropped | Bind to variable |
| E0106 | Missing lifetime | Add `'a` annotation |

---

## Anti-Patterns

| Anti-Pattern | Why Bad | Better |
|--------------|---------|--------|
| `.clone()` everywhere | Hides design issues | Design ownership properly |
| Fight borrow checker | Increases complexity | Work with the compiler |
| `'static` for everything | Restricts flexibility | Use appropriate lifetimes |
| Leak with `Box::leak` | Memory leak | Proper lifetime design |

---

## Related Skills

| When | See |
|------|-----|
| Need smart pointers | m02-resource |
| Need interior mutability | m03-mutability |
| Data is domain entity | m09-domain |
| Learning ownership concepts | m14-mental-model |