How shallowRef and Virtualization Fix Vue 3 Memory Leaks in High-Volume Lists

Vue 3 applications ingesting high-frequency data streams can suffer severe memory leaks when large datasets are stored using standard ref() or reactive(), because Vue recursively wraps every nested object property in ES6 Proxy instances. For an array of thousands of records, this generates tens of thousands of active Proxy wrappers, causing heap memory to grow rapidly and eventually crash the browser tab. Three compounding factors worsen the problem: deep proxy overhead on read-heavy datasets, unstable array keys in v-for directives, and orphaned event listeners in child components. Switching to shallowRef() opts out of recursive proxy conversion, tracking reactivity only at the top-level .value assignment rather than deeply nested properties. Developers can diagnose the issue using Chrome DevTools' Memory panel by comparing heap snapshots before and after load to identify lingering Proxy instances and detached DOM nodes.