How can I release memory after creating matplotlib figures

Question

I have several matlpotlib functions rolled into some django-celery tasks.

Every time the tasks are called more RAM is dedicated to python. Before too long, python is taking up all of the RAM.

QUESTION: How can I release this memory?

UPDATE 2 - A Second Solution:

I asked a similar question specifically about the memory locked up when matplotlib errors, but I got a good answer to this question .clf(), .close(), and gc.collect() aren't needed if you use multiprocess to run the plotting function in a separate process whose memory will automatically be freed once the process ends.

Matplotlib errors result in a memory leak. How can I free up that memory?

UPDATE - The Solution:

These stackoverflow posts suggested that I can release the memory used by matplotlib objects with the following commands:

.clf(): Matplotlib runs out of memory when plotting in a loop

.close(): Python matplotlib: memory not being released when specifying figure size

import gc gc.collect() 

Here is the example I used to test the solution:

import matplotlib matplotlib.use('Agg') import matplotlib.pyplot as plt from pylab import import figure, savefig import numpy as np import gc        a = np.arange(1000000) b = np.random.randn(1000000)  fig = plt.figure(num=1, dpi=100, facecolor='w', edgecolor='w') fig.set_size_inches(10,7) ax = fig.add_subplot(111) ax.plot(a, b)  fig.clf() plt.close() del a, b gc.collect() 

Answer 1

Did you try to run you task function several times (in a for) to be sure that not your function is leaking no matter of celery? Make sure that django.settings.DEBUG is set False( The connection object holds all queries in memmory when DEBUG=True).

Answer 2

import matplotlib.pyplot as plt from datetime import datetime import gc  class MyClass:     def plotmanytimesandsave(self):         plt.plot([1, 2, 3])         ro2 = datetime.now()         f =ro2.second         name =str(f)+".jpg"         plt.savefig(name)         plt.draw()         plt.clf()         plt.close("all")   for y in range(1, 10):     k = MyClass()     k.plotmanytimesandsave()     del k     k = "now our class object is a string"     print(k)     del k     gc.collect 

with this program you will save directly as many times you want without the plt.show() command. And the memory consumption will be low.