Java Basic Interview Questions

1. Why is Java a platform independent language?

Java language was developed in such a way that it does not depend on any hardware or software due to the fact that the compiler compiles the code and then converts it to platform-independent byte code which can be run on multiple systems.

• The only condition to run that byte code is for the machine to have a runtime environment (JRE) installed in it.

2. Why is Java not a pure object oriented language?

Java supports primitive data types - byte, boolean, char, short, int, float, long, and double and hence it is not a pure object-oriented language.

3. Pointers are used in C/ C++. Why does Java not make use of pointers?

Pointers are quite complicated and unsafe to use by beginner programmers. Java focuses on code simplicity, and the usage of pointers can make it challenging. Pointer utilization can also cause potential errors. Moreover, security is also compromised if pointers are used because the users can directly access memory with the help of pointers.

Thus, a certain level of abstraction is furnished by not including pointers in Java. Moreover, the usage of pointers can make the procedure of garbage collection quite slow and erroneous. Java makes use of references as these cannot be manipulated, unlike pointers.

4. What do you understand by an instance variable and a local variable?

Instance variables are those variables that are accessible by all the methods in the class. They are declared outside the methods and inside the class. These variables describe the properties of an object and remain bound to it at any cost.

All the objects of the class will have their copy of the variables for utilization. If any modification is done on these variables, then only that instance will be impacted by it, and all other class instances continue to remain unaffected.

Example:

  
    class Abc {
      public int id;
      public String name;
      public String address;
      }
  

Local variables are those variables present within a block, function, or constructor and can be accessed only inside them. The utilization of the variable is restricted to the block scope. Whenever a local variable is declared inside a method, the other class methods don’t have any knowledge about the local variable.

Example:

  
    public void abc() {
      int id = 5;
      String name="alok";
      String address="india";
      }
  

Local and Instance variable

5. What do you mean by data encapsulation?

• Data Encapsulation is an Object-Oriented Programming concept of hiding the data attributes and their behaviors in a single unit.
• It helps developers to follow modularity while developing software by ensuring that each object is independent of other objects by having its own methods, attributes, and functionalities.
• It is used for the security of the private properties of an object and hence serves the purpose of data hiding.

6. What is the difference between equals() method and equality operator (==)?

equals()	==
This is a method defined in the Object class.	It is a binary operator in Java.
This method is used for checking the equality of contents between two objects as per the specified business logic.	This operator is used for comparing addresses (or references), i.e checks if both the objects are pointing to the same memory location.

Note:

• In the cases where the equals method is not overridden in a class, then the class uses the default implementation of the equals method that is closest to the parent class.
• Object class is considered as the parent class of all the java classes. The implementation of the equals method in the Object class uses the == operator to compare two objects. This default implementation can be overridden as per the business logic.

7. Why is the character array preferred over string for storing confidential information?

In Java, a string is basically immutable i.e. it cannot be modified. After its declaration, it continues to stay in the string pool as long as it is not removed in the form of garbage. In other words, a string resides in the heap section of the memory for an unregulated and unspecified time interval after string value processing is executed.

As a result, vital information can be stolen for pursuing harmful activities by hackers if a memory dump is illegally accessed by them. Such risks can be eliminated by using mutable objects or structures like character arrays for storing any variable. After the work of the character array variable is done, the variable can be configured to blank at the same instant. Consequently, it helps in saving heap memory and also gives no chance to the hackers to extract vital data.

8. Briefly explain the concept of constructor overloading

Constructor overloading is the process of creating multiple constructors in the class consisting of the same name with a difference in the constructor parameters. Depending upon the number of parameters and their corresponding types, distinguishing of the different types of constructors is done by the compiler.

Example:

  
    class  Department {
      int variable1, variable2;
      double variable3;
      public Department(int teacher, int student) {
       variable1 = teacher;
       variable2 = student;
      }
      public Department(int teacher) {
       variable1 = teacher;
      }
      public Department(double salaries) {
       variable3 = salaries
      }
      }
  

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