How do the stack cleanup mechanisms differ in C and Java?

In the C language, stack management occurs directly: the stack is used to store local variables and return addresses, and stack cleanup happens automatically when exiting a function — the stack pointer simply moves back. The programmer does not explicitly control this.

In Java, the stack is also used to store local variables and method calls, but the stack cleanup is performed automatically by the virtual machine (JVM) when a method finishes. Memory for objects is allocated on the heap, and their cleanup is handled by the garbage collector, not the stack.

Thus, in C, the stack is cleared as functions return, whereas in Java, the JVM clears the stack upon method completion, and object memory management occurs separately through the garbage collector.