182 Memory, Allocations, and GC

Memory behavior is latency behavior. Allocation patterns influence GC pressure, which affects tail latency.

Runtime Path

allocate -> reachable? -> promoted/survive -> GC scan -> reclaim when unreachable

Practical Levers

Reduce transient allocations in hot paths.
Keep object lifetimes short when possible.
Use pooling selectively where profiling justifies complexity.

Engineering Tradeoff

Lower allocation rates can reduce GC overhead, but aggressive pooling can increase complexity and bug risk. Favor clarity unless profiles show strong need.