What is the dispose() method in Flutter?

The dispose() method is called by the Flutter framework when a State object is permanently removed from the widget tree. It is the correct place to release resources and prevent memory leaks: cancel subscriptions, close streams, dispose controllers (TextEditingController, AnimationController, ScrollController), and unsubscribe from listeners. Always call super.dispose() at the end of your override. Not implementing dispose() for long-lived resources is a very common source of Flutter memory leaks.