Java 16 Garbage Collector Interface (JEP 377)

Java 16 introduced a new interface for garbage collectors, which allows them to expose more information about their performance and behavior. The Garbage Collector (GC) interface is defined in the java.lang.management package and provides a set of methods that can be used to monitor and control the GC process.

Here is an example of how to use the GC interface in Java:

List<GarbageCollectorMXBean> gcBeans = ManagementFactory.getGarbageCollectorMXBeans();
for (GarbageCollectorMXBean gcBean : gcBeans) {
  System.out.println("Name: " + gcBean.getName());
  System.out.println("Collection count: " + gcBean.getCollectionCount());
  System.out.println("Collection time: " + gcBean.getCollectionTime() + "ms");
}

In this example, we are using the getGarbageCollectorMXBeans method of the ManagementFactory class to get a list of GarbageCollectorMXBean objects, which represent the garbage collectors in the JVM. We are then iterating over the list and printing some information about each garbage collector, such as its name, collection count, and collection time.

The GC interface is useful for monitoring the performance of the garbage collector and for identifying potential problems or bottlenecks in the GC process. It can also be used to implement custom GC algorithms or to fine-tune the GC parameters for specific workloads.

One important thing to note about the GC interface is that it is not suitable for all cases. In particular, it may not be suitable for cases where you need to perform low-level operations on the memory heap, or where you need to interact with the GC process in real-time. In these cases, it may be more appropriate to use other APIs or tools that are specifically designed for these purposes.