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How does garbage collection deal with circular references?

Expert C#
Quick Answer The .NET GC uses reachability analysis, not reference counting. It traces from GC roots (static fields, stack variables, CPU registers) and marks everything reachable. Circular references are not a problem รขโ‚ฌโ€ if neither object in the cycle is reachable from a root, both get collected.

Answer

The .NET GC uses reachability analysis, not reference counting. Circular references pose no issue unless unreachable from GC roots.

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