--- title: Class Unloading in Layered Java Applications | daily.dev description: JPMS module layers enable dynamic plug-in architectures in Java, but removing layers requires careful handling to ensure class unloading occurs and memory... canonical: https://daily.dev/posts/class-unloading-in-layered-java-applications-bonqlibfs twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:site: @dailydotdev og:type: website og:site_name: daily.dev og:title: Class Unloading in Layered Java Applications | daily.dev og:description: JPMS module layers enable dynamic plug-in architectures in Java, but removing layers requires careful handling to ensure class unloading occurs and memory... og:url: https://daily.dev/posts/class-unloading-in-layered-java-applications-bonqlibfs og:image: https://api.daily.dev/og/posts/BONqLibfs.png og:image:alt: Class Unloading in Layered Java Applications og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 630 og:locale: en --- > ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://daily.dev/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # Class Unloading in Layered Java Applications **[Gunnar Morling](https://daily.dev/sources/gunnar-morling)** · 12 min read · 0 upvotes · 0 comments ## Summary JPMS module layers enable dynamic plug-in architectures in Java, but removing layers requires careful handling to ensure class unloading occurs and memory leaks are avoided. Without explicit GC triggers, the G1 collector only unloads classes during full GC cycles. Using G1PeriodicGCInterval (JDK 12+) or low-pause collectors like Shenandoah/ZGC can prompt timely class unloading. When classes fail to unload, class loader leaks occur and can eventually cause OutOfMemoryErrors. Diagnosing these leaks involves JDK Flight Recorder for detecting missing unload events, and Eclipse MAT heap dump analysis to trace GC root paths and find lingering references. The Layrry framework is used as a practical example throughout. ## Full article daily.dev links to this article rather than hosting it. Read it at the original source: ## Similar posts on daily.dev - [foojay – a place for friends of OpenJDK](https://daily.dev/posts/foojay-a-place-for-friends-of-openjdk-yn6v0glcw) · Foojay.io · 0 upvotes · 0 comments --- Tags: [#java](https://daily.dev/tags/java) [View this post on daily.dev](https://daily.dev/posts/class-unloading-in-layered-java-applications-bonqlibfs) ```json {"@context":"https://schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https://daily.dev/#organization","name":"daily.dev","url":"https://daily.dev","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://daily.dev/apple-touch-icon.png","width":180,"height":180},"sameAs":["https://twitter.com/dailydotdev","https://github.com/dailydotdev","https://www.linkedin.com/company/daily-dev-ltd"]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https://daily.dev/#website","url":"https://daily.dev","name":"daily.dev","publisher":{"@id":"https://daily.dev/#organization"},"potentialAction":{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https://daily.dev/search?q={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}}]} {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"TechArticle","headline":"Class Unloading in Layered Java Applications","url":"https://daily.dev/posts/class-unloading-in-layered-java-applications-bonqlibfs","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://daily.dev/posts/class-unloading-in-layered-java-applications-bonqlibfs"},"datePublished":"2026-03-16T08:14:33.692Z","dateModified":"2026-03-16T08:29:26.787Z","description":"JPMS module layers enable dynamic plug-in architectures in Java, but removing layers requires careful handling to ensure class unloading occurs and memory...","image":"https://media.daily.dev/image/upload/s--OHB84bZF--/f_auto/v1722860399/public/Placeholder%2010","thumbnailUrl":"https://media.daily.dev/image/upload/s--OHB84bZF--/f_auto/v1722860399/public/Placeholder%2010","isAccessibleForFree":true,"articleSection":"Gunnar Morling","inLanguage":"en","publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"daily.dev","url":"https://daily.dev","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://daily.dev/apple-touch-icon.png","width":180,"height":180}},"author":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Gunnar Morling","logo":"https://media.daily.dev/image/upload/s--77UJH_xq--/f_auto,q_auto/v1773648773/logos/gunnar-morling?_a=BAMAMiiu0","url":"https://daily.dev/sources/gunnar-morling"},"commentCount":0,"discussionUrl":"https://daily.dev/posts/class-unloading-in-layered-java-applications-bonqlibfs","interactionStatistic":[{"@type":"InteractionCounter","interactionType":{"@type":"LikeAction"},"userInteractionCount":0},{"@type":"InteractionCounter","interactionType":{"@type":"CommentAction"},"userInteractionCount":0}],"keywords":"java","timeRequired":"PT12M"} {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https://daily.dev"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Gunnar Morling","item":"https://daily.dev/sources/gunnar-morling"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Class Unloading in Layered Java Applications"}]} ```