247. Choosing the correct garbage collector
As you’ll see in the next problem, Java allows us to choose between several garbage collectors. There is no silver bullet, so choosing the correct garbage collector for your particular application is an important decision that should be made based on three factors: throughput, latency, and footprint.
Figure 12.14: The factors that affect the choice of GC
Throughput represents the total time spent running the application code vs. running the GC. For instance, your application may run 97% of the total time, so you have a throughput of 97%. The remaining 3% is the time spent running the GC.
Latency measures how much the execution of the application is delayed by pauses caused by the GC. This is important because latency can affect the application’s responsiveness. These pauses may lead, at the interactivity level, to an unpleasant experience for the end users.
Footprint represents the extra memory needed by...
