What does the abbreviation 'GC' stand for in the context of Java?

Garbage Collection refers to the automatic memory management process in Java that is responsible for identifying and disposing of objects that are no longer needed by a program, thereby freeing up resources and preventing memory leaks. This mechanism helps improve the efficiency and performance of Java applications by ensuring that memory is managed optimally without requiring manual intervention from the developer.

Garbage Collection works in the background and can reclaim memory used by objects that are out of scope or unreachable, which are those that the application can no longer reference. It is essential for maintaining the health of applications, especially when they run for extended periods or handle significant amounts of data.

In contrast, the other options do not accurately capture the most well-known concept represented by "GC" within the Java ecosystem, as they either refer to less common terminologies or concepts that do not pertain directly to Java's memory management capabilities.