Class loaders load classes into the memory of the JVM. When analyzing the heap, class loaders are very important for two reasons: First, applications typically load components using separate class loaders. Second, the loaded classes are usually stored in a separate space (e.g. the perm space) which can also be depleted.
Class Loader Explorer
To get an overview, run the
inspection on the heap dump.
- The Memory Analyzer attaches a meaningful label to the class loader - in the case of OSGi bundles it is the bundle id. Looking out for duplicate entries!
- Next to the class loader name, the table contains the defined classes and the number of live instances. If one and the same component is loaded multiple times, the number of live instances can indicate which class loaders is more alive and which one should be garbage collected.
Find more information in this blog posting: The Unknown Generation: Perm