Ram Lakshmanan

Ram Lakshmanan

Founder & Architect, JVM Diagnostic Tools

About Ram Lakshmanan
Ram Lakshmanan is the founder and architect of popular JVM diagnostic tools: GCeasy, fastThread, HeapHero, and yCrash. Ram has a deep focus on Java performance engineering & troubleshooting. He has helped several Fortune 500 companies including Apple, Visa, ServiceNow, and Workday to diagnose and resolve complex production issues.

On this blog, Ram shares his real-world experiences, engineering challenges, and lessons from building diagnostic tools used in some of the world’s most demanding production environments. His writing combines practical advice with hands-on examples in a simple, easy-to-understand language.

When developers are stuck with mysterious OutOfMemoryError, long GC pauses, or unresponsive applications, Ram’s tools and techniques provide the clarity they need.

Tools Architected by Ram:

  • GCeasy: Analyzes Java GC logs to reduce pause times and optimize memory usage.
  • fastThread: Diagnoses thread dump issues like deadlocks, BLOCKED threads, and CPU spikes.
  • HeapHero: Visualizes heap dumps to detect memory leaks and optimize object footprint.
  • yCrash: Automates JVM root cause analysis by capturing and analyzing 360° production artifacts.

Follow Ram’s Work

Ram speaks at various developer conferences all over the world and conducts performance engineering workshops to share JVM tuning strategies and production troubleshooting techniques.

Recent Blog Posts by Ram

Java Memory Leaks: The Definitive Guide to Causes, Detection & Fixes

Java Memory Leaks pose significant challenges to application performance and stability, often leading to issues like gradual memory increase, CPU spikes, and OutOfMemoryError. This post explores causes and symptoms of memory leaks, troubleshooting methods including heap dump analysis, and preventative strategies during development to mitigate these problems effectively.

Java OutOfMemoryError Exception: Understanding 9 Types, Causes & Solutions

Learn about the different types of OutOfMemoryError in Java and how to fix them. Watch the video for expert insights and solutions.

Why Just Increasing -Xmx Is a Recipe for Disaster?(and What to Do Instead)

Increasing -Xmx in response to OutOfMemoryError may provide temporary relief but often fails to address underlying issues, leading to longer garbage collection pauses and increased costs. Effective strategies involve heap dump analysis, native memory tracking, and assessing garbage collection behavior to diagnose and resolve memory leaks rather than merely increasing heap size.

Advanced Heap Dump Analysis Techniques

This post discusses advanced techniques for analyzing heap dumps, a critical step in addressing OutOfMemoryError issues. It highlights using HeapHero's REST API for direct analysis, managing sensitive data, and leveraging tools like OQL for object retrieval. Proper artifact analysis, monitoring micro-metrics, and avoiding common pitfalls enhance troubleshooting efficiency and effectiveness.

From Symptoms to Solutions: Troubleshooting Java Memory Leaks & OutOfMemoryError

Troubleshooting Java memory issues like leaks and OutOfMemoryError can be daunting, even for seasoned engineers. This post offers essential insights on recognizing symptoms, analyzing heap dumps, and implementing fixes, empowering both novice and experienced developers to effectively identify and resolve memory-related problems, ensuring better application performance and stability.

Java Heap Dumps: Your Essential Guide to Generation, Tools, and Workflow

Java Heap Dump analysis is essential for diagnosing memory-related issues like OutOfMemoryError and memory leaks in applications. It provides insights into memory usage through object references and sizes. Multiple methods exist for generating heap dumps, and tools such as HeapHero and Eclipse MAT facilitate effective analysis to enhance application stability and performance.

Want to Learn More?

Explore JVM performance training and DevOps case studies shared by Ram and the yCrash team.

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