android
[todo-mvvm-rx]Having a reference to Context in ResourceProviders might leak memory?
Hi @florina-muntenescu I noticed that in ResourceProvider there's a reference to the context. Will this be leaking memory? or how is this handled? should it be handled at all?
What’s in ResourceProvider In the Google TODO samples, ResourceProvider is usually something like:
public class ResourceProvider { private final Context context;
public ResourceProvider(@NonNull Context context) {
this.context = context;
}
public String getString(@StringRes int resId) {
return context.getString(resId);
}
} The concern is that keeping a Context reference could prevent it from being garbage collected.
Will this leak memory? It depends on which context is stored:
If you pass an Activity context → Yes, you can leak the Activity if ResourceProvider lives longer than the Activity lifecycle (e.g., in a singleton ViewModel or static object).
If you pass the Application context → No leak risk. The Application context lives for the lifetime of the app and is safe to store.
Best practice fix Always inject the Application context into ResourceProvider.
Example in Dagger/Hilt or manual DI:
public ResourceProvider(Application application) { this.context = application; } Or, if you only have an Activity context available, convert it to the Application context before storing:
this.context = context.getApplicationContext(); Why it matters in MVVM In MVVM, ResourceProvider is often injected into the ViewModel. Since ViewModels survive configuration changes (rotation, etc.), storing an Activity context inside them can easily cause a memory leak. Using the Application context avoids this entirely.
Summary
Store only the Application context in ResourceProvider.
Never store an Activity or Fragment context in long-lived objects.
With Application context, no extra leak handling is required.
