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PRO Node.js Concepts: Part 1
Alex and Jordan were deep into their Node.js project when they noticed something unsettling — after running the application for a while, it started consuming more and more memory until it eventually crashed. Jordan was puzzled, but Alex, with their seasoned experience, immediately suspected a memory leak. “This isn’t just about writing efficient code,” Alex explained. “It’s about understanding how Node.js handles memory and knowing how to keep the garbage collector happy.”
1. Understanding V8’s Memory Management
Node.js uses the V8 JavaScript engine, which comes with its own memory management and garbage collection mechanisms. However, due to the single-threaded nature of Node.js, memory management needs special attention. The V8 engine allocates memory in two main areas: the heap and the stack. The stack handles static memory allocation, while the heap is used for dynamic memory allocation.
Experienced developers know that the heap is where most memory issues arise. In Node.js, the heap has a limited size, typically around 1.5GB to 4GB for 64-bit systems. Exceeding this limit results in out-of-memory errors, which can crash your application.
2. Identifying and Preventing Memory Leaks
Memory leaks in Node.js occur when allocated memory is no longer needed but isn’t released, leading to increased…
