In Java, objects with a finalize() method are handled uniquely during garbage collection. They are placed in a queue for processing by a low-priority Finalizer thread. If this thread blocks, memory consumption can spike, leading to OutOfMemoryError. Thus, careful implementation of finalize() is crucial to avoid trapping the Finalizer thread, likened to a Leprechaun Trap.
I was surprised to witness the Java Executor behavior – which caused “java.lang.OutOfMemoryError: unable to create new native thread” in our application. I would like to share my surprise (i.e. problem) and resolution to it.
The application using DataStax's Java driver to connect with Apache Cassandra faced a 'java.lang.OutOfMemoryError' due to an excessive number of runnable threads, linked to the netty library. This issue arose when Cassandra ran out of space, highlighting the need for client applications to handle such scenarios more resiliently without resulting in OutOfMemoryError.