SystemVerilog OOP Mastery · All levels
No Destructors or GC APIs (Handle Lifetime Semantics): Concept Explained
Concept Explained for No Destructors or GC APIs (Handle Lifetime Semantics).
Concept
In short: SystemVerilog has no user-defined destructor and no manual delete for class objects. Cleanup must be explicit via close()/release() APIs; never rely on RAII-style teardown.
In C++, destructors are deterministic for stack objects and drive RAII patterns, which make cleanup automatic at scope exit. Java has garbage collection plus structured cleanup primitives like try-with-resources for deterministic external resource release.
SystemVerilog class objects are handle-based and reclaimed by simulator-managed garbage collection when unreachable. The language does not provide a user-defined class destructor or manual delete for class objects.
Therefore, verification code should implement explicit cleanup protocols: close files, release semaphores, stop spawned processes, and null handles after release. Side effects must be triggered by explicit calls, not assumed lifetime events.