Garbage Collection in the Java HotSpot Virtual Machine
Gain a better understanding of how garbage collection in the Java HotSpot VM works, and learn to take full advantage of it when designing, developing, and deploying your Java applications.
by Tony Printezis
September 17, 2004
he Java virtual machine (JVM) specification dictates that any JVM implementation must include a garbage collector (GC) to reclaim unused memory (i.e., unreachable objects) [JVMS2 1999]. However, the behavior and efficiency of a garbage collector can heavily influence the performance and responsiveness of any application that relies on it. This article gives an introduction to the garbage collection techniques that Sun Microsystems Inc. adopted in the Java HotSpot Virtual Machine, its production Java virtual machine. The aim is for the reader to gain a better understanding of how garbage collection in the Java HotSpot VM works and, as a result, be able to take full advantage of it when designing, developing, and deploying their applications.
"Heap storage for objects is reclaimed by an automatic storage management system (typically a garbage collector); objects are never explicitly deallocated."
— Java Virtual Machine Specification, Section 3.5.3 [JVMS2 1999]
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he Java virtual machine (JVM) specification dictates that any JVM implementation must include a garbage collector (GC) to reclaim unused memory (i.e., unreachable objects) [JVMS2 1999]. However, the behavior and efficiency of a garbage collector can heavily influence the performance and responsiveness of any application that relies on it. This article gives an introduction to the garbage collection techniques that Sun Microsystems Inc. adopted in the Java HotSpot Virtual Machine, its production Java virtual machine. The aim is for the reader to gain a better understanding of how garbage collection in the Java HotSpot VM works and, as a result, be able to take full advantage of it when designing, developing, and deploying their applications.
