近日，在使用ThreadLocal的时候发现了一个很有意思的事情，我们来看ThreadLoaclMap中Entry数组的结构：
static class Entry extends WeakReference> {
/** The value associated with this ThreadLocal. */
Object value;
Entry(ThreadLocal k, Object v) {
super(k);
value = v;
}
}
我们可以看到Entry中只有key是弱引用（活到下一次GC），value并不是，也就意味着当GC时，key被干掉了，而value依然健康的活着，如果这个线程的生命周期很长，除非手动调用remove方法，否则value将一直不会被回收，导致内存泄漏！！！
然而，我们Care到的事情，Java开发者一直没有注意到吗？事实上，他们应该这种情况，在Get和Set方法都做了移除处理，如下：
/**
* Get the entry associated with key. This method
* itself handles only the fast path: a direct hit of existing
* key. It otherwise relays to getEntryAfterMiss. This is
* designed to maximize performance for direct hits, in part
* by making this method readily inlinable.
*
* @param key the thread local object
* @return the entry associated with key, or null if no such
*/
private Entry getEntry(ThreadLocal key) {
int i = key.threadLocalHashCode & (table.length - 1);
Entry e = table[i];
if (e != null && e.get() == key)
return e;
else
return getEntryAfterMiss(key, i, e);
}
在getEntry方法中可以看到，当获取到的Entry为Null时，会进入getEntryAfterMiss方法，我们再看getEntryAfterMiss方法的源码：
/**
* Version of getEntry method for use when key is not found in
* its direct hash slot.
*
* @param key the thread local object
* @param i the table index for key's hash code
* @param e the entry at table[i]
* @return the entry associated with key, or null if no such
*/
private Entry getEntryAfterMiss(ThreadLocal key, int i, Entry e) {
Entry[] tab = table;
int len = tab.length;
while (e != null) {
ThreadLocal k = e.get();
if (k == key)
return e;
if (k == null)
expungeStaleEntry(i);
else
i = nextIndex(i, len);
e = tab[i];
}
return null;
}
/**
* Expunge a stale entry by rehashing any possibly colliding entries
* lying between staleSlot and the next null slot. This also expunges
* any other stale entries encountered before the trailing null. See
* Knuth, Section 6.4
*
* @param staleSlot index of slot known to have null key
* @return the index of the next null slot after staleSlot
* (all between staleSlot and this slot will have been checked
* for expunging).
*/
private int expungeStaleEntry(int staleSlot) {
Entry[] tab = table;
int len = tab.length;
// expunge entry at staleSlot
tab[staleSlot].value = null;
tab[staleSlot] = null;
size--;
// Rehash until we encounter null
Entry e;
int i;
for (i = nextIndex(staleSlot, len);
(e = tab[i]) != null;
i = nextIndex(i, len)) {
ThreadLocal k = e.get();
if (k == null) {
e.value = null;
tab[i] = null;
size--;
} else {
int h = k.threadLocalHashCode & (len - 1);
if (h != i) {
tab[i] = null;
// Unlike Knuth 6.4 Algorithm R, we must scan until
// null because multiple entries could have been stale.
while (tab[h] != null)
h = nextIndex(h, len);
tab[h] = e;
}
}
}
return i;
}
在expungeStaleEntry方法中可以看到，Entry会清除当前位置和下一个空槽之间的所有过期槽位。
我们再来看Set方法：
/**
* Set the value associated with key.
*
* @param key the thread local object
* @param value the value to be set
*/
private void set(ThreadLocal key, Object value) {
// We don't use a fast path as with get() because it is at
// least as common to use set() to create new entries as
// it is to replace existing ones, in which case, a fast
// path would fail more often than not.
Entry[] tab = table;
int len = tab.length;
int i = key.threadLocalHashCode & (len-1);
for (Entry e = tab[i];
e != null;
e = tab[i = nextIndex(i, len)]) {
ThreadLocal k = e.get();
if (k == key) {
e.value = value;
return;
}
if (k == null) {
replaceStaleEntry(key, value, i);
return;
}
}
tab[i] = new Entry(key, value);
int sz = ++size;
if (!cleanSomeSlots(i, sz) && sz >= threshold)
rehash();
}
Set方法很重要的一件事情是，当它发现当前位置的key失效时，会进行替换，从而剔除过期的数据。
至此，我们看到基于1.8版本使用ThreadLocal时，除非是知道生命周期短的线程，否则我们都应该对设置的Entry进行清除，以避免不可预知的内存泄漏问题！！！