whatwg / whatwg/fetch

5.6 garbage collection makes GC observable via service worker & resource timing

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Description

5.6. Garbage collection says "Observable through script" means observable through fetch()’s arguments and return value. Other ways, such as communicating with the server through a side-channel are not included."

However, this would reveal GC timing via service worker and resource timing. The resource timing is particularly problematic because it would make it easier to depend on GC timing.

Contributor guide

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First steps

  1. Read the whole issue, then the project's contributing guide.
  2. Comment on the issue to say you are picking it up — it saves two people doing the same work.
  3. Fork the repository and make your change on a branch.
  4. Open a pull request that references the issue number.

Research direction

Start with section 5.6, “Garbage collection,” in the Fetch Standard and examine how its observability wording relates to service workers and resource timing. Done means reaching an agreed specification change that addresses whether these mechanisms may expose garbage-collection timing.

Written by the indexing model from the issue text.

Assessment

Domain
web-dev
Issue type
Bug
Difficulty
5/5
Estimated time
Over a week
Activity status
Stale
Clarity
Mostly clear
Newbie friendliness
25/100

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