All application threads are paused during garbage collection.
'Stop-The-World' (STW) pauses occur when the JVM halts all application threads to perform garbage collection. These pauses can impact application responsiveness, especially during high traffic events. For example, during a Black Friday sale, a prolonged STW pause could delay order processing, affecting user experience. The JVM aims to minimize these pauses to maintain performance.
Additional Notes
What happens during a ‘Stop-The-World’ pause in Java?