How does Garbage Collection work?

Garbage collection is an automatic memory management feature used in programming languages to reclaim memory no longer used by the program.

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Java

Java provides several garbage collectors, each suited for different use cases:

• • Serial Garbage Collector: Best for single-threaded environments or small applications.

• • Parallel Garbage Collector: Also known as the "Throughput Collector."

• • CMS (Concurrent Mark-Sweep) Garbage Collector: Low-latency collector aiming to minimize pause times.

• • G1 (Garbage-First) Garbage Collector: Aims to balance throughput and latency.

• • Z Garbage Collector (ZGC): A low-latency garbage collector designed for applications that require large heap sizes and minimal pause times.

Python

Python's garbage collection is based on reference counting and a cyclic garbage collector:

• • Reference Counting: Each object has a reference count; when it reaches zero, the memory is freed.

• • Cyclic Garbage Collector: Handles circular references that can't be resolved by reference counting.

GoLang

Concurrent Mark-and-Sweep Garbage Collector: Go's garbage collector operates concurrently with the application, minimizing stop-the-world pauses.