Memory Management in .NET

Types of Memory in .NET

a) Stack Memory

Stores value types (e.g., int, double, struct), fast allocation and deallocation, and managed automatically.

b) Heap Memory

Stores reference types (e.g., class, object, string), managed by the Garbage Collector (GC).

.NET Garbage Collector (GC)

• Generation 0: Short-lived objects, frequently collected.
• Generation 1: Objects promoted from Gen 0, collected less frequently.
• Generation 2: Long-lived objects, least frequently collected.

Key Memory Management Techniques in .NET

a) Dispose of Unused Objects (IDisposable)

using (StreamReader reader = new StreamReader("file.txt"))
{
    string content = reader.ReadToEnd();
} // reader is automatically disposed

b) Use GC.Collect() Sparingly

GC.Collect(); // Not recommended unless absolutely necessary

c) Use Span<T> and Memory<T> for Performance

Span<int> numbers = stackalloc int[] { 1, 2, 3, 4 };

d) Avoid Memory Leaks with Events

myObject.MyEvent -= EventHandlerMethod;

Best Practices for Efficient Memory Usage

• Use structs for small data types to avoid heap allocations.
• String pooling is preferred to reduce duplicate memory allocation.
• Use object pooling for frequently created objects.
• Use Weak References for caching.
• Optimize Large Object Heap (LOH) usage.

Conclusion

Memory management in .NET is efficiently handled by the Garbage Collector (GC), but developers can optimize performance by following best practices like disposing objects properly, minimizing heap allocations, and using efficient memory structures like Span<T>.