Garbage Collection
Garbage collection is an automatic memory management feature in programming languages that reclaims memory occupied by objects no longer in use by the program. It works by identifying and freeing up memory that is no longer referenced, preventing memory leaks and reducing manual memory management overhead. This mechanism is a core component of many modern programming languages, enhancing developer productivity and program reliability.
Developers should learn about garbage collection when working with languages like Java, C#, Python, or Go, as it simplifies memory management and reduces bugs related to manual allocation and deallocation. It is particularly useful in applications with dynamic memory usage, such as web servers, long-running processes, or systems where memory leaks could cause critical failures. Understanding garbage collection helps optimize performance and debug memory-related issues in managed environments.