Author: Eugene Kovko

In Java, the finalize method has been part of the language since its early days, offering a mechanism to perform cleanup activities before an object is garbage collected. However, using finalizers has come under scrutiny due to several performance-related concerns. As of Java 9, the finalize method has been deprecated, and its use is highly discouraged.

Delayed Garbage Collection

Finalizers can substantially slow down the garbage collection process. When an object is ready to be collected but has the finalize method, the garbage collector must call this method and then re-check the object in the next garbage collection cycle. This two-step process delays memory reclamation, leading to increased memory usage and potential memory leaks.

The Java Virtual Machine enables Java applications to be platform-independent while optimizing performance. One crucial component to understand when considering performance, especially memory utilization, is how the Java Collections Framework, specifically the ArrayList, handles size and capacity.

In this article, we will concentrate on the overhead caused by lists that contain two or three elements. The reason for this is that it’s a more common situation, and it can be easily overlooked.