What is the purpose of the IDisposable interface in C#?

The IDisposable interface is used to implement the pattern of releasing resources that are managed outside the CLR environment (for example, file descriptors, network connections, WinAPI handles).

Main goals:

• Deterministic release of resources: Allows explicitly releasing unmanaged resources immediately, rather than waiting for an indeterminate moment when the garbage collector calls the finalizer (if any).
• Preventing resource leaks: Ensures that critical resources are released after use, even if exceptions occur.
• Usage with the using keyword: The using statement automatically calls the Dispose() method of an object implementing IDisposable at the end of the block, ensuring reliable release.

Implementation includes a parameterless Dispose() method that performs resource cleanup. The pattern often includes a finalizer (destructor) to release resources if Dispose() was not called explicitly, but it is recommended to avoid finalizers and rely on using.

public interface IDisposable
{
    void Dispose();
}