Will pprof always show that you have a memory leak or a limit exceeded?

No, pprof does not always directly show memory leaks or limit exceedances.

pprof is a profiling tool for Go programs that collects data on memory allocation, CPU usage, locking, etc. It shows where and how much memory is allocated and retained.

However:

• Memory leaks may be not obvious if the program holds references to objects that are no longer needed, but the garbage collector does not free them. pprof will show that memory is occupied, but not always indicate the cause.

• If the limit exceedance is related to external factors (e.g., system constraints), pprof will not track this directly.

• Sometimes leaks occur due to improper use of third-party libraries or system resources, which pprof may not always be able to track.

For diagnosing memory leaks, it is important to analyze heap profiles, observe the growth of used memory over time, and also use additional tools and code checks.

Thus, pprof is a powerful tool, but not a universal indicator of all memory issues.