# Garbage Collection In Go : Part I - Semantics

DevFeed: [Garbage Collection In Go : Part I - Semantics](<https://devfeed.tech/articles/garbage-collection-in-go-part-i-semantics-22140.md>)

Original publisher: [Read original article](<https://www.ardanlabs.com/blog/2018/12/garbage-collection-in-go-part1-semantics.html>)

Published: 2025-06-10T00:00:00Z

Content type: tutorial

Language: en

Sources: [William Kennedy](<https://devfeed.tech/sources/william-kennedy.md>)

Topics: [Go Language](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/go-language.md>), [Programming language](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/programming-language.md>), [Algorithm](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/algorithm.md>), [Software](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/software.md>)

Tags: [algorithm](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/algorithm.md>), [ardan-labs](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/ardan-labs.md>), [blog](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/blog.md>), [garbage-collection](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/garbage-collection.md>), [go](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/go.md>), [go-programming](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/go-programming.md>), [golang](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/golang.md>), [guide](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/guide.md>), [internals](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/internals.md>), [memory](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/memory.md>), [performance](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/performance.md>), [programming](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/programming.md>)

## AI overview

This tutorial explains the semantics of Go's garbage collector, including heap allocation tracking, concurrent tri-color mark-and-sweep collection, and Stop The World events. It presents a behavioral model intended to remain useful despite changes to runtime implementation details.

## Source excerpt

This article was originally published in 2018, yet its core insights into Go's garbage collection model remain highly relevant for developers today. While some implementation details of Go's runtime have evolved, the foundational concepts explored here--such as the semantics of the tri-color mark and sweep algorithm, Stop The World (STW) events, and GC trace interpretation--are still essential to understanding how Go manages memory. Whether you're optimizing performance or deepening your knowledge of Go internals, this post continues to offer a clear and practical guide to working with the garbage collector, not against it.