What Is the Safe Math Library and Why Is It Used?

The safe math library, such as OpenZeppelin's SafeMath, is a set of functions designed to perform arithmetic operations (addition, subtraction, multiplication) while explicitly checking for integer overflow and underflow conditions. In older versions of Solidity, these checks were not built-in, so developers had to manually ensure that results stayed within the bounds of the variable type.

SafeMath reverts the transaction if an overflow or underflow is detected, preventing the state corruption that leads to balance manipulation.