What types of memory does Go distinguish (stack and heap)? How do they differ? How does the Garbage Collector work with objects on the stack?

In Go, there are two main types of memory for storing data: stack and heap.

• Stack is a memory area where local variables of functions and call parameters are stored. The stack operates on a LIFO (last in, first out) principle. Memory in the stack is allocated and freed very quickly when entering and exiting functions.

• Heap is a memory area for dynamically allocated objects that can live longer than the execution time of a single function. Objects in the heap are managed by the garbage collector (GC).

Differences:

• The stack is limited in size and intended for short-lived data.
• The heap is more flexible, but memory allocation and deallocation are slower.

The Garbage Collector (GC) in Go is responsible for cleaning up unused objects in the heap. Objects on the stack are not directly managed by the GC, as the stack is automatically cleared when exiting a function. If an object is captured by a closure or passed by pointer and lives longer than the function, it is moved to the heap, where the GC tracks references to it.

Thus, the GC works only with the heap, and objects on the stack are automatically freed when the function ends, making stack operations very efficient.