In the previous post, we explored how Go allocates variables to the stack or heap. Now, let’s look at how Go reclaims memory that is no longer in use. Our memory is finite, so let’s dive into the garbage collector. What is a garbage collector? The garbage collector (GC) is a memory-management tool. It helps maintain efficient performance and prevents many memory leaks by reclaiming memory that a program no longer uses, so that space can be reused. ...
In this post, we’ll explore how Go manages memory. We’ll look into key concepts and run benchmarks to analyze the differences between stack and heap. First, let’s refresh the basics: What is a variable? Basically, a variable is a named location in memory used to store data. Based on this premise, we could ask a few fundamental questions: What happens to data in memory once it’s no longer needed? Does data persist indefinitely in memory? Is every variable allocated to the same memory region? How does memory keep track of data types? What is the maximum size limit for a variable in memory? How Go manages memory Like many modern languages, Go divides memory allocation into two main regions: the Stack and the Heap. So, how does Go determine where a variable should be stored? During compilation, Go performs a check (known as escape analysis) to determine a variable’s lifetime and decide its allocation strategy. ...