javaperformancecoding-stylegarbage-collectionruntime

Is there any side effects for Runtime.getRuntime().gc()

In Java applications, is it advisable to explicitly invoke Runtime.getRuntime().gc() to improve performance?

What are the potential side effects of manually triggering garbage collection in this manner, especially regarding its impact on runtime performance, latency, and overall application efficiency?

Could such explicit calls lead to any unintended consequences in production environments, or are there cases where this approach is considered beneficial for performance optimization?

Solution

  • Runtime.getRuntime().gc() can cause side effects.

    1. Runtime.getRuntime().gc() - does not guarantee that gc will run

    2. Runtime.getRuntime().gc() - as specified by documentation this will hint the GC that it can act, and if GC decides that is ready to run it might overlap the application processing threads and cause delays and slowness.

    It is recommended that this should not be used, instead try tunning the GC in order for the system to behave correctly.