Difference Between Finalize and Dispose Method

Finalize Vs. Dispose Method: An Overview

.NET Framework provides two methods Finalize and Dispose for releasing unmanaged resources like files, database connections, COM, etc. This article will help you to understand the difference between Finalize and Dispose methods. Check out our .NET Certification Training to get an edge over the competition.

Example of implementing the disposal method

public class MyClass : IDisposable
{
 private bool disposed = false;
 
 //Implement IDisposable.
 public void Dispose()
 {
 Dispose(true);
 GC.SuppressFinalize(this);
 }

 protected virtual void Dispose(bool disposing)
 {
 if (!disposed)
 {
 if (disposing)
 {
 // TO DO: clean up managed objects
 }
 
 // TO DO: clean up unmanaged objects

 disposed = true;
 }
 }
}

Example of implementing Finalize method

If you want to implement the Finalize method, it is recommended to use the Finalize and Dispose method together as shown below:

// Using Dispose and Finalize method together
public class MyClass : IDisposable
{
 private bool disposed = false;
 
 //Implement IDisposable.
 public void Dispose()
 {
 Dispose(true);
 GC.SuppressFinalize(this);
 }

 protected virtual void Dispose(bool disposing)
 {
 if (!disposed)
 {
 if (disposing)
 {
 // TO DO: clean up managed objects
 }
 
 // TO DO: clean up unmanaged objects
 
 disposed = true;
 }
 }
 
 //At runtime C# destructor is automatically Converted to Finalize method
 ~MyClass()
 {
 Dispose(false);
 }
}

Note

1. It is always recommended to use the Dispose method to clean unmanaged resources. You should not implement the Finalize method until it is extremely necessary.

2. At runtime C#, C++ destructors are automatically Converted to Finalize method. But in VB.NET you need to override the Finalize method since it does not support the destructor.

3. You should not implement a Finalize method for managed objects, because the garbage collector cleans up managed resources automatically.

4. A Dispose method should call the GC.SuppressFinalize() method for the object of a class that has a destructor because it has already done the work to clean up the object, then it is not necessary for the garbage collector to call the object's Finalize method.

Summary:

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