How does garbage collection work in .NET?

In .NET, garbage collection (GC) is performed automatically by the Common Language Runtime (CLR) based on several factors:

• Object generations: .NET uses generational garbage collection (Gen 0, Gen 1, Gen 2). Objects are initially created in Gen 0, and if they survive collection, they are promoted to older generations.

• Trigger conditions: GC is triggered when:

  • There is not enough free memory to allocate new objects.
  • The application explicitly calls GC.Collect() (rarely recommended).
  • The system experiences memory pressure.

• GC modes:

  • Workstation GC — optimized for client applications, minimizes latency.
  • Server GC — optimized for server applications, uses multiple threads for parallel collection.

Example of explicit garbage collection call (not recommended unless necessary):

GC.Collect();
GC.WaitForPendingFinalizers();

However, it is generally better to trust automatic memory management and avoid manual intervention.