Understanding Java Garbage Collection and what you can do about it

Recorded at SpringOne 2GX 2012.
Speaker: Gil Tene, Azul Systems
Garbage Collection is an integral part of application behavior on Java platforms, yet it is often misunderstood. As such, it is important for Java developers to understand the actions you can take in selecting and tuning collector mechanisms, as well as in your application architecture choices. In this session, Gil Tene (CTO, Azul Systems) will review and classify the various garbage collectors and collection techniques available in JVMs today. Following a quick overview of common garbage collection techniques including generational, parallel, stop-the-world, incremental, concurrent and mostly-concurrent algorithms, we will define terms and metrics common to all collectors. We will classify each major JVM collector's mechanisms and characteristics and discuss the tradeoffs involved in balancing requirements for responsiveness, throughput, space, and available memory across varying scale levels. We will conclude with some pitfalls, common misconceptions, and "myths" around garbage collection behavior, as well as examples of how some good choices can result in impressive application behavior.