Garbage collection (GC) is a mechanism for automatically managing memory in a programming language that recognizes and frees memory that is no longer occupied by objects that are no longer used by programs. It realizes memory recycling through reference counting, mark-clearing, copy algorithms and generational collection. Each algorithm has its own advantages and disadvantages: 1. The reference counting method is simple but cannot handle circular references; 2. The mark-clearing method solves circular reference problems but may produce fragments; 3. The copy algorithm is efficient but wastes half of the memory; 4. Generational collection optimizes recycling strategies based on objects in different life cycles. GC may cause performance fluctuations and memory leaks in actual applications, and can optimize behavior through parameter configuration. Methods to reduce GC pressure include avoiding frequent creation of short-lived objects, using object pools, rationally utilizing weak references, monitoring GC logs, and paying attention to closure use in front-end development, thereby improving program performance and stability.
Garbage Collection (GC) is a mechanism for automatically managing memory in programming languages. It is mainly responsible for identifying and freeing memory space that is no longer used by the program, thereby avoiding memory leaks and errors caused by manual memory release.
What is garbage recycling?
Simply put, the garbage collector will periodically check which objects in the program are no longer referenced, and recycle the memory occupied by these objects for subsequent use. This process is transparent to developers and does not require manual calls malloc
or free
like C/C.
Common languages ??that support garbage collection include Java, JavaScript, Python, Go, etc.
Common garbage collection algorithms
To understand the working principle of garbage collection, you must first understand several basic algorithms:
-
Reference counting method : Each object maintains a reference counter, which adds 1 whenever a new reference points to it, and decrements 1 when the reference fails. When the count is 0, it means that the object is unreachable and can be recycled.
The disadvantage is that it cannot handle circular references, such as two objects refer to each other but neither external references.
-
Mark and Sweep : Starting from the root node, recursively traverse all reachable objects, perform "marking", and then clear unmarked objects.
The advantage is that it solves the circular reference problem, but may produce memory fragmentation.
-
Copying : Divide the memory into two pieces, using only one piece at a time. In GC, copy the surviving object to another block and clear the original area.
This method is efficient, but it sacrifices half of the memory space.
-
Generational Collection : Divide different regions (such as the Celestial and Elderly) according to the life cycle of the object, and adopt different recycling strategies.
For example, this method is often used in Java heap memory.
The performance of garbage collection in practical applications
In actual development, you may not directly see the process of GC running, but its impact is everywhere:
- Performance fluctuations : Some GC algorithms will cause the "Stop-The-World" phenomenon when executed, that is, the entire program is suspended, which may cause temporary lag, especially in large systems.
- Memory leak hazard : Although GC can automatically recycle useless objects, if there are unnecessary strong references (such as listeners and cache not cleared), it will still cause the memory to continue to grow.
- Configurability : Many languages ??allow you to adjust GC behavior through parameters, such as setting the heap size, selecting the recycler type, etc.
Taking Java as an example, you can specify the GC type through JVM parameters:
-XX: UseSerialGC -XX: UseParallelGC -XX: UseConcMarkSweepGC -XX: UseG1GC
Different GCs are suitable for different scenarios, such as throughput priority or low latency priority.
How to reduce GC pressure?
Although GC simplifies memory management, unreasonable use can also bring performance problems. Here are some practical suggestions:
- Avoid frequent creation of short-lived objects, especially inside loops
- Reuse objects using object pool or cache (note that they are released in time)
- Use WeakReference reasonably to manage temporary data
- Regularly monitor GC logs to analyze whether Full GC is frequent or OOM occurs
For front-end development, if closures in JavaScript are used improperly, it may also cause memory to be unable to be released. At this time, you can use the browser's memory analysis tool to troubleshoot.
Basically that's it. Garbage recycling is a complex but indispensable mechanism, and understanding it helps to write more efficient and stable programs.
The above is the detailed content of How does garbage collection work?. For more information, please follow other related articles on the PHP Chinese website!

Hot AI Tools

Undress AI Tool
Undress images for free

Undresser.AI Undress
AI-powered app for creating realistic nude photos

AI Clothes Remover
Online AI tool for removing clothes from photos.

Clothoff.io
AI clothes remover

Video Face Swap
Swap faces in any video effortlessly with our completely free AI face swap tool!

Hot Article

Hot Tools

Notepad++7.3.1
Easy-to-use and free code editor

SublimeText3 Chinese version
Chinese version, very easy to use

Zend Studio 13.0.1
Powerful PHP integrated development environment

Dreamweaver CS6
Visual web development tools

SublimeText3 Mac version
God-level code editing software (SublimeText3)

Hot Topics

There are three main differences between Callable and Runnable in Java. First, the callable method can return the result, suitable for tasks that need to return values, such as Callable; while the run() method of Runnable has no return value, suitable for tasks that do not need to return, such as logging. Second, Callable allows to throw checked exceptions to facilitate error transmission; while Runnable must handle exceptions internally. Third, Runnable can be directly passed to Thread or ExecutorService, while Callable can only be submitted to ExecutorService and returns the Future object to

Java supports asynchronous programming including the use of CompletableFuture, responsive streams (such as ProjectReactor), and virtual threads in Java19. 1.CompletableFuture improves code readability and maintenance through chain calls, and supports task orchestration and exception handling; 2. ProjectReactor provides Mono and Flux types to implement responsive programming, with backpressure mechanism and rich operators; 3. Virtual threads reduce concurrency costs, are suitable for I/O-intensive tasks, and are lighter and easier to expand than traditional platform threads. Each method has applicable scenarios, and appropriate tools should be selected according to your needs and mixed models should be avoided to maintain simplicity

JavaNIO is a new IOAPI introduced by Java 1.4. 1) is aimed at buffers and channels, 2) contains Buffer, Channel and Selector core components, 3) supports non-blocking mode, and 4) handles concurrent connections more efficiently than traditional IO. Its advantages are reflected in: 1) Non-blocking IO reduces thread overhead, 2) Buffer improves data transmission efficiency, 3) Selector realizes multiplexing, and 4) Memory mapping speeds up file reading and writing. Note when using: 1) The flip/clear operation of the Buffer is easy to be confused, 2) Incomplete data needs to be processed manually without blocking, 3) Selector registration must be canceled in time, 4) NIO is not suitable for all scenarios.

In Java, enums are suitable for representing fixed constant sets. Best practices include: 1. Use enum to represent fixed state or options to improve type safety and readability; 2. Add properties and methods to enums to enhance flexibility, such as defining fields, constructors, helper methods, etc.; 3. Use EnumMap and EnumSet to improve performance and type safety because they are more efficient based on arrays; 4. Avoid abuse of enums, such as dynamic values, frequent changes or complex logic scenarios, which should be replaced by other methods. Correct use of enum can improve code quality and reduce errors, but you need to pay attention to its applicable boundaries.

Java's class loading mechanism is implemented through ClassLoader, and its core workflow is divided into three stages: loading, linking and initialization. During the loading phase, ClassLoader dynamically reads the bytecode of the class and creates Class objects; links include verifying the correctness of the class, allocating memory to static variables, and parsing symbol references; initialization performs static code blocks and static variable assignments. Class loading adopts the parent delegation model, and prioritizes the parent class loader to find classes, and try Bootstrap, Extension, and ApplicationClassLoader in turn to ensure that the core class library is safe and avoids duplicate loading. Developers can customize ClassLoader, such as URLClassL

Javaprovidesmultiplesynchronizationtoolsforthreadsafety.1.synchronizedblocksensuremutualexclusionbylockingmethodsorspecificcodesections.2.ReentrantLockoffersadvancedcontrol,includingtryLockandfairnesspolicies.3.Conditionvariablesallowthreadstowaitfor

The key to Java exception handling is to distinguish between checked and unchecked exceptions and use try-catch, finally and logging reasonably. 1. Checked exceptions such as IOException need to be forced to handle, which is suitable for expected external problems; 2. Unchecked exceptions such as NullPointerException are usually caused by program logic errors and are runtime errors; 3. When catching exceptions, they should be specific and clear to avoid general capture of Exception; 4. It is recommended to use try-with-resources to automatically close resources to reduce manual cleaning of code; 5. In exception handling, detailed information should be recorded in combination with log frameworks to facilitate later

HashMap implements key-value pair storage through hash tables in Java, and its core lies in quickly positioning data locations. 1. First use the hashCode() method of the key to generate a hash value and convert it into an array index through bit operations; 2. Different objects may generate the same hash value, resulting in conflicts. At this time, the node is mounted in the form of a linked list. After JDK8, the linked list is too long (default length 8) and it will be converted to a red and black tree to improve efficiency; 3. When using a custom class as a key, the equals() and hashCode() methods must be rewritten; 4. HashMap dynamically expands capacity. When the number of elements exceeds the capacity and multiplies by the load factor (default 0.75), expand and rehash; 5. HashMap is not thread-safe, and Concu should be used in multithreaded
