What are memory leaks in java
6676
04-Sep-2015
I am very confused about memory management in java, what is memory leaks and when will it occurs
Rakesh Jogi
17-Jan-2026Java has automatic garbage collection, which basically clears unwanted objects from the application. This garbage collection will only free up objects that are no longer referencing or are not reachable. When objects that are no longer needed still reference other objects, the garbage collector will not recognize these objects as unwanted ones, and this will not help in reclaiming the memory. If this persists, it will slowly lead to a memory leak. Memory leaks can be caused by several actions, such as when static fields hold references, when caches continue to grow indefinitely, or when objects are registered but never removed after actions are performed. Over time, these actions result in the accumulation of memory, leading to a slow increase in heap size and ultimately causing performance degradation or an OutOfMemoryError. For a deeper understanding of common signs of a Java memory leak, identifying memory leaks by analyzing heap dumps, check out this blog, From Symptoms to Solutions: Troubleshooting Java Memory Leaks & OutOfMemoryError.
Anonymous User
04-Sep-2015