What is memory management in JavaScript?

JavaScript automatically manages memory through garbage collection.

Memory Lifecycle:
1. Allocation - memory is allocated when variables are created
2. Usage - reading/writing to allocated memory
3. Release - memory is freed when no longer needed

Garbage Collection Algorithms:

1. Reference Counting:

let obj1 = { name: "John" }; // Reference count: 1
let obj2 = obj1;             // Reference count: 2
obj1 = null;                 // Reference count: 1
obj2 = null;                 // Reference count: 0, eligible for GC

Problem - Circular References:

function createCircular() {
  let obj1 = {};
  let obj2 = {};
  obj1.ref = obj2;
  obj2.ref = obj1; // Circular reference
  return "done";
}

2. Mark-and-Sweep (Modern approach):
- Marks all reachable objects from root
- Sweeps unmarked objects
- Handles circular references

Memory Leaks Prevention:
- Remove event listeners
- Clear timers
- Avoid global variables
- Break circular references
- Use WeakMap/WeakSet for weak references