[jandrewrogers]

std::launder should probably be used more than it is in low-level code if you care about correctness, even though it doesn’t always bite you in the ass. It is a logical no-op. std::launder is a hint to the compiler to forget everything it thinks it knows about the type instance, sort of like marking it “volatile” only for a specific moment in time.

The use of std::launder should be more common than it is, I’ve seen a few bugs in optimized builds when not used, but compilers have been somewhat forgiving about not using it in places you should because it hasn’t always existed. Rigorous code should be using it instead of relying on the leniency of the compiler.

In database engine code it definitely gets used in the storage layers.