Python's garbage collection mechanism primarily relies on reference counting as its core method to manage memory automatically. Each object in Python has a reference count that tracks how many references point to it. When an object's reference count drops to zero, indicating no more references to it, the object becomes eligible for garbage collection and its memory can be reclaimed[2][4][5][6].
In addition to reference counting, Python employs a generational garbage collection strategy to handle more complex scenarios such as cyclic references, where a group of objects reference each other in a loop, making them unreachable yet their reference counts do not drop to zero. This generational approach, implemented in the gc module, categorizes objects into three generations based on their longevity. Younger objects (those recently created) are monitored more frequently, while older objects (those that have...
