Enforce limit on classes loaded by Spel compiled expression loader

Until this change a single classloader was used to load
all compiled SpEL expressions. This meant in a context where an
expression was repeatedly flipping between compiled and interpreted
mode (which can happen if in MIXED mode compilation and changing
the context around the evaluation) the classloader would continually
load a new compiled version but not orphan the old compiled version.
This eventually uses up all the memory as the number of classes
is ever increasing.

With this change classloaders are used to load 100 compiled
expressions. The 101st will be loaded by a new one. Orphaning the
old classloader means if an expression is ever recompiled there
is more likely to be no anchored references left to the older
compiled form and it can be GC'd. In the MIXED situation above it
should help alleviate the problem of older classes never being
candidates for GC.

Issue: SPR-15460

spring-expression/src/main/java/org/springframework/expression/spel/standard/SpelCompiler.java

@@ -70,24 +70,23 @@ public class SpelCompiler implements Opcodes {
 
 	private static final Log logger = LogFactory.getLog(SpelCompiler.class);
 
+	private final static int CLASSES_DEFINED_LIMIT = 100;
+
 	// A compiler is created for each classloader, it manages a child class loader of that
 	// classloader and the child is used to load the compiled expressions.
 	private static final Map<ClassLoader, SpelCompiler> compilers =
 			new ConcurrentReferenceHashMap<>();
 
-
 	// The child ClassLoader used to load the compiled expression classes
-	private final ChildClassLoader ccl;
+	private ChildClassLoader ccl;
 
 	// Counter suffix for generated classes within this SpelCompiler instance
 	private final AtomicInteger suffixId = new AtomicInteger(1);
 
-
 	private SpelCompiler(ClassLoader classloader) {
 		this.ccl = new ChildClassLoader(classloader);
 	}
 
-
 	/**
 	 * Attempt compilation of the supplied expression. A check is
 	 * made to see if it is compilable before compilation proceeds. The
@@ -131,7 +130,6 @@ public class SpelCompiler implements Opcodes {
 	 * @return the expression call, or {@code null} if the decision was to opt out of
 	 * compilation during code generation
 	 */
-	@SuppressWarnings("unchecked")
 	private Class<? extends CompiledExpression> createExpressionClass(SpelNodeImpl expressionToCompile) {
 		// Create class outline 'spel/ExNNN extends org.springframework.expression.spel.CompiledExpression'
 		String clazzName = "spel/Ex" + getNextSuffix();
@@ -183,9 +181,26 @@ public class SpelCompiler implements Opcodes {
 		byte[] data = cw.toByteArray();
 		// TODO need to make this conditionally occur based on a debug flag
 		// dump(expressionToCompile.toStringAST(), clazzName, data);
-		return (Class<? extends CompiledExpression>) this.ccl.defineClass(clazzName.replaceAll("/", "."), data);
+		return loadClass(clazzName.replaceAll("/", "."), data);
 	}
 
+	/**
+	 * Load a compiled expression class. Makes sure the classloaders aren't used too much
+	 * because they anchor compiled classes in memory and prevent GC.  If you have expressions
+	 * continually recompiling over time then by replacing the classloader periodically
+	 * at least some of the older variants can be garbage collected.
+	 * 
+	 * @param name name of the class
+	 * @param bytes bytecode for the class
+	 * @return the Class object for the compiled expression
+	 */
+	@SuppressWarnings("unchecked")
+	private Class<? extends CompiledExpression> loadClass(String name, byte[] bytes) {
+		if (this.ccl.getClassesDefinedCount() > CLASSES_DEFINED_LIMIT) {
+			this.ccl = new ChildClassLoader(this.ccl.getParent());
+		}
+		return (Class<? extends CompiledExpression>) this.ccl.defineClass(name, bytes);
+	}
 
 	/**
 	 * Factory method for compiler instances. The returned SpelCompiler will
@@ -269,12 +284,20 @@ public class SpelCompiler implements Opcodes {
 
 		private static final URL[] NO_URLS = new URL[0];
 
+		private int classesDefinedCount = 0;
+
 		public ChildClassLoader(ClassLoader classLoader) {
 			super(NO_URLS, classLoader);
 		}
 
+		int getClassesDefinedCount() {
+			return classesDefinedCount;
+		}
+
 		public Class<?> defineClass(String name, byte[] bytes) {
-			return super.defineClass(name, bytes, 0, bytes.length);
+			Class<?> clazz = super.defineClass(name, bytes, 0, bytes.length);
+			classesDefinedCount++;
+			return clazz;
 		}
 	}
 

spring-expression/src/test/java/org/springframework/expression/spel/SpelCompilationCoverageTests.java

@@ -22,8 +22,10 @@ import java.lang.reflect.Method;
 import java.util.ArrayList;
 import java.util.Collections;
 import java.util.HashMap;
+import java.util.HashSet;
 import java.util.List;
 import java.util.Map;
+import java.util.Set;
 import java.util.StringTokenizer;
 
 import org.junit.Test;
@@ -325,6 +327,25 @@ public class SpelCompilationCoverageTests extends AbstractExpressionTests {
 
 		assertEquals(3.4d, expression.getValue());
 	}
+	
+	@Test
+	public void repeatedCompilation() throws Exception {
+		// Verifying that after a number of compilations, the classloaders
+		// used to load the compiled expressions are discarded/replaced.
+		// See SpelCompiler.loadClass()
+		Field f = SpelExpression.class.getDeclaredField("compiledAst");
+		Set<Object> classloadersUsed = new HashSet<>();
+		for (int i=0;i<1500;i++) { // 1500 is greater than SpelCompiler.CLASSES_DEFINED_LIMIT
+			expression = parser.parseExpression("4 + 5");
+			assertEquals(9, (int)expression.getValue(Integer.class));
+			assertCanCompile(expression);
+			f.setAccessible(true);
+			CompiledExpression cEx = (CompiledExpression)f.get(expression);
+			classloadersUsed.add(cEx.getClass().getClassLoader());
+			assertEquals(9, (int)expression.getValue(Integer.class));
+		}
+		assertTrue(classloadersUsed.size() > 1);
+	}
 
 	@SuppressWarnings("rawtypes")
 	@Test