How do mark-and-sweep and reference counting garbage collection methods compare?

What are the main differences between mark-and-sweep and reference counting?

Mark-and-sweep is a garbage collection method that identifies unreachable objects by marking live objects and sweeping away the rest. Reference counting, on the other hand, keeps track of the number of references to each object and deallocates it when the count reaches zero.

Which method is more efficient in terms of memory management?

It depends on the scenario. Mark-and-sweep can handle cyclic references better, while reference counting can be more efficient for short-lived objects due to its immediate deallocation.

Are there any drawbacks to using mark-and-sweep?

Yes, mark-and-sweep can introduce pauses during the marking phase, which may affect performance in real-time applications. It also requires additional memory for the marking process.

What about the drawbacks of reference counting?

Reference counting can lead to memory leaks if circular references occur, as it cannot reclaim memory for objects that reference each other.