Memory efficient software patching for updating applications on computing devices

A user computing device comprising:

• a memory configured to store a single segment of a plurality of segments provided by a server computing device, the plurality of segments representative of a patch identifying how to update a single first virtual asset representative of an unpatched application to obtain a single second virtual asset representative of a patched application and including portions of the second virtualized asset used to update the single first virtualized asset;
• and
• one or more processors configured to:
• virtualize a first plurality of assets that form the unpatched application installed at the user computing device to obtain the single first virtual asset;
• and
• apply the single segment to the single first virtual asset to construct at least a portion of a single second virtual asset, the single second virtual asset including a second plurality of assets that form a patched application.

A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon instructions that, when executed, cause one or more processors of a user computing device to:

• obtain, from a server computing device, a single segment of a plurality of segments, the plurality of segments representative of a patch identifying how to update a first virtualized asset representative of an unpatched application to obtain a single second virtualized asset representative of a patched application and including portions of the second virtualized asset used to update the single first virtualized asset;
• virtualize a first plurality of assets that form the unpatched application installed at the user computing device to obtain the single first virtual asset;
• and
• apply the single segment to the single first virtual asset to construct at least a portion of a single second virtual asset, the single second virtual asset including a second plurality of assets that form a patched application.