Troubleshooting of high memory usage by JetBrains Rider backend process

Symptoms

Process Rider.Backend.exe (Windows) or Rider.Backend (Linux/Mac) consumes an unexpected amount of memory

Cause

Depending on the context and system configuration, memory consumption can vary. However, there's no identified common cause for the backend memory consumption increase in Rider.

Resolution

If you're experiencing this issue, please perform the following steps:

Disable the server Garbage Collection:

1. Navigate to Help > Edit VM Options.
2. Add a new line -Drider.backend.gcserver=false.
3. Restart Rider.

If the backend memory usage continues to increase, follow these instructions:

1. Wait for the backend process to consume a problematic amount of memory.
2. Note the exact memory consumption and the way you measure it.
3. Take a screenshot from process management software for exactly one process (e.g. from the Details view in Task Manager on Windows).
4. Navigate to Help > Diagnostic Tools > Capture Backend Memory Snapshot.
5. Upload the snapshot to our internal server and save the UploadID.
6. Open a new issue and attach the UploadID, memory consumption data, screenshots and anything you think could help with the investigation.

By following these steps, you will help our team understand and mitigate this memory consumption issue more accurately.