Lua 5.4 Generational GC: Tuning Pause and Step Parameters

Generational GC in Lua 5.4

Lua 5.4 adds a generational mode that must be enabled with collectgarbage('generational'). The mode changes how the collector ages objects and can alter the impact of the traditional pause and step settings.

Unresolved Tuning Question

When the generational collector is active, the relationship between pause and step and the resulting pause latency is not well documented. Existing guidance treats these parameters as if the collector were incremental, but the generational algorithm may respond differently to the same values.

What are the recommended values for pause and step when using the generational mode? How does the generational algorithm modify the expected pause behavior compared to the standard incremental collector?