Why C Has No Bounds Checking

char buf[8];
strcpy(buf, user_input);   // no length check at all

• C treats memory as a flat array of bytes; a pointer is just an address plus a type. There is no runtime record of how big buf is.
• If user_input is longer than 8 bytes, strcpy happily writes past the buffer, corrupting whatever sits next: other locals, the saved frame pointer, the return address.
• This is a deliberate design trade: C chooses speed and control over safety. The programmer is responsible for every bound.
• Memory-safe languages (Rust, Go, Java) add this bookkeeping; that is exactly the check C omits.