Firefox memory leaks?

[supernova_00]

Ok this is what I need. If you guys can post exact steps to reproduce memory leaks please post the exact steps to reproduce eg.. Url to the site, what you did on the site (like right clicked and opened 20 pictures in tabs or new windows, or right clicked and saved to my hard drive) and how much memory was being used. Please do not post if you are not using Firefox 1.5 or older because the bugs will not be fixed in those releases...need to make sure the leaks are in the current releases.

Please do not post here to complain about your memory issues! All I want is the steps to reproduce them

Helpful posts:

1) URL

2) What you was doing and steps to reproduce

3) Memory being used

4) Build ID via Help->About Firefox

Not helpful:

1) Not using Firefox 1.5 or newer (Newer=Branch builds, 1.5.0.1 test build, trunk builds)

2) Trolling saying firefox sux or the like (Will be reported)

3) No steps to reproduce, need at least the URL

Thanks!

EDIT: Forgot to mention why I need this. I got some tools to trace leaks in Firefox and hopefully I can disect these leaks and get em fixed.

Edited January 13, 2006 by supernova_00

[toadeater]

Embedded videos and flash use up more memory than they should. Firefox retains most of the files or plugin data even after the page is closed. Starting with 35mb, my memory usage went up to 100mb after playing a few embedded videos (putfile.com, video.google.com, etc) and flash movies. With the video pages now closed, no more movies loaded, memory usage is still 91mb with one browser window open (this reply).

The way Firefox retains certain data should definitely be looked at. I think it is one thing that contributes to the "memory leaks."

[supernova_00]

I've been trying out those sites all night and some of this morning and can't get firefox to leak. Do you have any extensions installed that interact with these videos in any way? Adblock, getflash, flashblock, and plugins for obscure players other then wmp.

Thing is, if the extensions are the ones leaking...we really can't do anything to fix those except the users can notify the extension authors.

[supernova_00]

EDIT: Managed to find memory leaking with software update and customizing the toolbar. :) Sofware update memory leak is when you upgrade and select 'Later' to restart later after upgrading and you continue to surf.

Customize bug is just opening the customize pallet and closing it.

[gertin]

I just looked through the entire January 2006 workstations thread, every page one by one and Firefox is now using 250MB of RAM. There should really be a function to flush the cache or something.

(Gecko/20051111 Firefox/1.5)

[supernova_00]

No leaks there. High memory due to fast back navigation. Go through all 8 pages (i have neowin show me 40 posts per page) then look at memory useage, then go to yahoo, google, msn, hotmail, ebay then look at the ram useage...it droped from around 117mb to around 30. Firefox makes use of fast back navigation where it caches last 5 pages shown in that tab.

[+Cryton Subscriber²]

I'd like to see someone who does see these ultra-high memory situations install the trunk and create a new profile and install the extensions they normally do, and then see if it still happens. If it does, then we can get them to log and see if what they're seeing really is a leak, or just memory usage.

Coz I sure as hell can't repo these OMG FIREFOX USES A GAZILLION MB OF MEMORY complaints.

[supernova_00]

Exactly! All these people complain but no one posts the site that they say happened on, or give steps to reproduce. Plus they have about 50 extensions so no wonder there is a leak somewhere from these half finished code extensions installed especially the people that bump the maxversions and the extension still use some old outdated code that slows stuff down and probably causes the memory leaks in the first place.

BTW the reason I did post link to the tools, build and steps to install of the stuff needed to check for leaks is because its too complicated for most to understand and a million bugs would be filed in firefox and they really wouldnt be true bugs because the user did not have a fresh clean profile, no extensions or themes, homepage set to about:blank, go to the website that they thing is leaking, then close firefox and run the perl script over the log. then try to reproduce if they think they found a link. All they would do is file a bug saying firefox sux because it used 100mb ram on XXX page and they have a list of 30 extensions installed, didn't clean the cache first, and was surfing all day before they ran the script.

[NienorGT]

Ya... think that the 1.5 have maybe a leek... not sure...

In normal time back in the 1.0.7 times it was using way less memory,

I didn't see that before since i'm actually with 1GB of RAM ratter than 512MB.

But when I was browsing Neowin normally I was about 70MB RAM.

Now at the time I write this message it take 187MB (176MB Virtual)

Build ID: Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Windows AM 5.1; en-US; rv:1.8) Gecko/20051111 Firefox/1.5

Well, I will close FF and try to look where it use lot of memory...

It can't use that from the start heh?

[supernova_00]

NI3NOR: Firefox 1.5 will use more memory because of the new fastback cache feature. Caches last 5 pages you visited in each tab. Disable that feature if you think firefox is using too much memory and you dont normally or care about a little bit faster back/forward navigation

[NienorGT]

NI3NOR: Firefox 1.5 will use more memory because of the new fastback cache feature. Caches last 5 pages you visited in each tab. Disable that feature if you think firefox is using too much memory and you dont normally or care about a little bit faster back/forward navigation

heh? indeed this can be usefull but i'm a guy that like to have 15 tabs... you see and i'm browsing lot of Pictures sites...

Where I can disable this in about:config ?

[supernova_00]

Set 'browser.sessionhistory.max_viewers' to 0, default is 5

[NienorGT]

Set 'browser.sessionhistory.max_viewers' to 0, default is 5

:s... default is 5???

I didn't change it and it's a -1 :s

WTF?

[supernova_00]

No 'browser.sessionhistory.max_total_viewers' is at -1 you want

'browser.sessionhistory.max_viewers'

[OxygenOne]

I did not even have that preference in my about:config, so I had to add it. Hopefully this will cut down on the memory usage. At any given time, Firefox uses about 60MB of memory. It probably has to do with themes and extensions and such, but I only have a few extensions loaded (ForecastFox, Adblock, and a few other small ones for convenience tasks like Paste And Go).

-- OxygenOne

[supernova_00]

You are using 1.5 correct? plus adblock is one of the most memory leakers

[NienorGT]

Eww...

Ya, this option wasn't here, so I had created it and put it at 0

now browsing like a RoadRunner on some sites to check the Ram and still high for me....

142MB RAM (131MB Vir)

Offtopic:

You should add a little guide to about:config in your site,

and finally put an option screen to your extention toolbar cleenup ^^ (I HATE to hide my searchbar... but the rest is nice...)

[supernova_00]

I put in the faq about high memory useage, which points to a great thread on mozillazine...should read that.

I really want to put an options menu in my extension but I've tried and failed to get it working. I've asked for help on mozillazine and here but no one voluntered :( but thats for another topic.

EDIT: btw make sure you restarted after you added that entry to about:config

[+Cryton Subscriber²]

I also suspect tools like FasterFox that can change many config entries, perhaps to ridiculous values.

[supernova_00]

I always forgot to mention to disable prefetch. It loads everylink into the cache incase you click on the link the page will load faster. If your on a page with links to lots of pics no wonder why your get high memory useage. I feel that people that use fastback cache + prefectcing are the ones suffering the most.

'network.prefetch-next' is the entry

[Andos]

I often do alot of browsing, and today i had 50+ tabs open at one time, each page holding multiple frames. Those pages holds alot of images and text but I often close them after 20 secs. The main problem is that Firefox keeps the stuff in memory instead of writing it to the cache. Clearing your private data seems to help alot on the memory useage, but doesn't unload it all. (today firefix suddently went up to 1GB+ memory useage but i only have 512 mb ram.)

I have prefetch disabled.

I don't know if this could be related to a memory leak, but Gmail notifier often crash Firefox just after you received a mail and click the button to open your gmail inbox (before the toaster window is gone)

[supernova_00]

Andos: Do you have a link so I can try to reproduce? Also could you try again with fastback cache disabled? And the last issue isn't a memory issue but I do believe its a known problem but I can't remember if it was a firefox bug or the extensions fault.

[NienorGT]

Thanks for the FAQ link... reading about it right now...

Sorry to don't help you that mush with your search of memory leaks...

BUT! AdBlock is T3H **** MEMORY LEAKER! *yells at it*

Actually I think I have save 100MB ( !!! ) by reading the FAQ and of course REMOVE adblock in order to put Adblock Plus!

(And now i don't feel guilty... I have a White list for good site to just "hide" thiere Ads WOOT!)

Edit: Just to inform that it use actually 78MB (67MB Vir)

After another rought browsing in DA/NW - Desktop Thread/Some random search in Google Image...

it's really nicer...

[supernova_00]

Glad I could help! Another memory saver could be for you to ditch the adblocking software all together and add these to usercontent.css. I commented out /*div[id*=popup], */ though because it blocked some valid popups

[Artifex]

supernova_00,

You have helped me too. :) Setting network.prefetch-next to false seems to help release memory and virtual memory after having employed the extension Browse Images, which uses a lot of those two. Curiously enough the memory and virtual memory do not get released after having loaded and gone away from a page with many images using only firefox, and not Browse Images. But I've read that firefox itself has issues with displaying images, so I suspected it. I'm sure the firefox team is looking into this, and I wish them (you?) good luck!

Again, thanks!

(Sorry for not providing an url, but it happens on every page with many images, and I also thought that my gratitude would make up for the lack of an url. :) )

? Artifex ?