website/content/en/docs/reference/glossary/garbage-collection.md

title	id	date	full_link	short_description	aka	tags
Garbage Collection	garbage-collection	2021-07-07	/docs/concepts/architecture/garbage-collection/	A collective term for the various mechanisms Kubernetes uses to clean up cluster resources.		fundamental operation

Garbage collection is a collective term for the various mechanisms Kubernetes uses to clean up cluster resources.

Kubernetes uses garbage collection to clean up resources like unused containers and images, failed Pods, objects owned by the targeted resource, completed Jobs, and resources that have expired or failed.