ZGC: A Decade of Redefining Java Performance

ZGC has evolved over the past decade from an experimental feature in JDK 11 to a robust, production-ready garbage collector powering critical online services worldwide.

ZGC is a concurrent garbage collector, meaning all heavy GC tasks are performed alongside application threads, resulting in sub-millisecond pause times. This makes ZGC a suitable garbage collector for applications where short response times are important. This talk will explore:

• A brief history of ZGC

• Its internal mechanisms

• The performance in JDK 25

• Future development plans

Make sure to check the JavaOne 2026 playlist.