Question Set 3
What is the difference between String = "s" and new String("s") ?
In Java (and most programming languages), String
is a data type that represents a sequence of characters.
When you use String s = "s"
, you are creating a string literal. A string literal is a sequence of characters in double quotes that are stored in the same memory location and are shared across multiple references.
On the other hand, when you use String s = new String("s")
, you are creating a string object. A string object is created in a different memory location and is not shared across multiple references.
In short, the main difference between the two is that string literals are stored in the same memory location and are shared, while string objects are stored in separate memory locations and are not shared.
Explain the deep explanation of equals/hashcode method.
The equals
and hashCode
methods are two important methods in Java that are defined in the Object
class and are used to determine if two objects are equal and to generate a unique identifier for each object, respectively.
equals
method: The equals
method is used to determine if two objects are equal. By default, the equals
method in the Object
class checks if two objects are the same instance, which is determined using the ==
operator. However, it is often desirable to override the equals
method in order to define custom equality rules for objects.
For example, suppose you have a Person
class that has a name
and age
property. You might override the equals
method in order to determine if two Person
objects are equal if they have the same name and age, even if they are not the same instance.
hashCode
method: The hashCode
method is used to generate a unique identifier for each object. The identifier is used to efficiently store and retrieve objects in data structures like hash tables.
When two objects are equal, they must also have the same hashCode
. This is because the hash code is used to determine the location where an object should be stored in a hash table, and two equal objects should be stored in the same location.
It's important to override the hashCode
method whenever you override the equals
method, as the default implementation of hashCode
in the Object
class simply returns a unique identifier for each instance, which will likely be different for two equal objects.
In summary, the equals
and hashCode
methods are important for defining custom equality rules and for efficiently storing objects in hash tables, respectively. Overriding these methods correctly can be a bit tricky, so it's important to carefully follow the guidelines and best practices when doing so.
Java Call by value or call by reference? Demonstrate using an example.
In Java, method arguments are passed using call by value. This means that when you pass an argument to a method, a copy of the value is passed to the method, not the original object.
For example:
In the above example, x
is an int
value, which is a primitive type. When x
is passed to the increment
method, a copy of the value is created and passed to the method. When the method increments the value of x
, it only increments the copy of the value, not the original value.
However, when objects are passed as arguments, they are references to the objects, not the objects themselves. So, if you modify an object in a method, the changes will be reflected in the original object, since the method is modifying the same object that the reference is pointing to.
For example:
In the above example, p
is a reference to a Person
object. When p
is passed to the changeName
method, a copy of the reference is created and passed to the method. When the method changes the name of the Person
object, it is modifying the same object that the reference p
is pointing to. Therefore, the change in the name of the object is reflected in the original Person
object.
So, in conclusion, Java uses call by value for both primitive types and objects. However, for objects, it's the reference to the object that is passed, not the object itself.
How to create a class as static
A class can be declared as static
by adding the static
keyword before the class definition. A static class is a nested class that is also called an inner class. It is a class within another class, and it can only access static members of the outer class.
Here's an example of how you can declare a static class:
In the example above, the InnerClass
is a static class declared inside the OuterClass
. The InnerClass
can only access the static members of the OuterClass
.
It's important to note that a static class cannot access the instance variables or methods of the outer class, and it cannot have a reference to an instance of the outer class. This is because a static class is not associated with an instance of the outer class. Instead, it is associated with the class itself.
What happens when return is used inside a try block
When a return
statement is used inside a try
block, the method in which the try
block is defined will immediately exit and return the specified value (or null
if no value is specified).
Here's an example:
In the example above, the divide
method tries to divide a
by b
and return the result. If an exception is thrown during the division (e.g., if b
is zero), the catch
block will catch the exception and print an error message. In either case, the method will exit and return a value.
It's important to note that the finally
block (if present) will still be executed after the return
statement, before the method exits. The finally
block is a block of code that is guaranteed to be executed, regardless of whether an exception is thrown or not.
What happens when System.exit() is used inside a try block
When System.exit(int status)
is used inside a try
block, the Java Virtual Machine (JVM) will immediately shut down and exit with the specified status code. This means that the rest of the code in the method, as well as any other methods that might have been called, will not be executed.
Here's an example:
In the example above, the doSomething
method tries to do some processing. If System.exit(0)
is executed, the JVM will shut down immediately and the rest of the code in the method, as well as the code in the catch
and finally
blocks, will not be executed.
It's important to note that the finally
block (if present) will not be executed if System.exit(int status)
is used, because the JVM is immediately shut down and the code is not allowed to continue executing.
Can a constructor be made final?
No, a constructor cannot be marked as final
in Java. The final
keyword is used to indicate that a method or variable cannot be overridden or changed, but constructors cannot be overridden because they are not inherited by subclasses.
In Java, a constructor is used to create an instance of an object, and it is automatically called when the new
operator is used to create an object. The constructor sets the initial state of the object and performs any other necessary setup.
Because constructors cannot be overridden, there is no need to mark them as final
, and attempting to do so will result in a compile-time error.
Here's an example of what a constructor in Java might look like:
In this example, the constructor for MyClass
is defined without the final
keyword. This is the correct syntax for defining a constructor in Java.
What is the finalize method?
The finalize
method is a special method in Java that is called just before an object is garbage collected. It is defined in the java.lang.Object
class and can be overridden by subclasses to perform any necessary cleanup before the object is discarded by the garbage collector.
Here's an example of how you might override the finalize
method in a custom class:
In this example, the MyResource
class uses the finalize
method to delete a file when the MyResource
object is no longer needed. The finalize
method is called just before the MyResource
object is garbage collected, and it ensures that the file is deleted even if the application does not explicitly call a method to delete the file.
It's important to note that the finalize
method is not guaranteed to be called, and its use is generally discouraged. The garbage collector runs as needed to free up memory, and the timing of garbage collection is not under the control of the application. In addition, the finalize
method is slow and can introduce unpredictability into the application, so it is recommended to use other methods, such as the try-finally
block, to perform cleanup when necessary.
Explain the Stream API in Java 8.
The Stream API is a new feature in Java 8 that provides a functional approach to processing data. It is a set of classes and interfaces in the java.util.stream
package that allow you to perform operations on collections of data in a functional and declarative manner.
The main idea behind the Stream API is to provide a way to perform operations on a stream of data without changing the underlying data source. Instead of modifying the data directly, you create a stream of data, and then apply a series of operations to the stream to produce the desired result. This allows you to write more concise, readable, and maintainable code.
Here's an example of how you might use the Stream API to find the square of the first 10 even numbers:
In this example, the IntStream.range
method creates a stream of integers from 0 to 19. The filter
method filters the stream to include only even numbers. The limit
method limits the stream to the first 10 numbers. The map
method squares each number in the stream. The boxed
method converts the IntStream
to a Stream<Integer>
. Finally, the collect
method collects the results into a List<Integer>
.
The Stream API provides a large number of operations that can be used to manipulate streams, including operations for filtering, mapping, reducing, and more. It also provides a way to perform operations in parallel, allowing you to take advantage of multi-core processors to improve performance.
Overall, the Stream API is a powerful tool that can simplify the way you work with data in Java, and it is an important feature of Java 8.
How to return a value from a thread?
Returning a value from a thread in Java can be a bit tricky, as threads run in parallel and are not necessarily completed in a predictable order. There are several ways to return a value from a thread, including the following:
Callable and Future: You can use the
Callable
interface to define a task that returns a value, and then submit the task to an executor service. Thesubmit
method returns aFuture
object that you can use to retrieve the result of the task.
Thread Local Variables: You can use
ThreadLocal
variables to store values that are specific to each thread. You can use aThreadLocal
variable to store the result of the thread and then retrieve the value from theThreadLocal
after the thread has completed.
Callback Interfaces: You can define a callback interface that is implemented by the caller of the thread. The thread can call the callback when it has completed, passing the result as an argument.
These are just a few of the ways you can return a value from a thread in Java. The best approach will depend on the specific requirements of your application.
What is the Callable interface?
Callable
is an interface in the Java concurrency library that represents a task that can return a value. The Callable
interface is similar to the Runnable
interface, but it allows you to return a value after the task is completed.
The Callable
interface provides a more flexible and powerful way to perform tasks that require a return value than the Runnable
interface. It is particularly useful when you need to run a task that may throw an exception, as the call
method of the Callable
interface can throw an exception.
Explain Daemon threads.
Daemon threads in Java are threads that run in the background and do not prevent the JVM from shutting down. These threads are typically used for housekeeping tasks, such as garbage collection or monitoring.
To create a daemon thread, you can set the daemon
property of the thread to true
before starting it. For example:
It's important to note that daemon threads do not have a guarantee of completing their execution. When the JVM determines that only daemon threads are running, it will shut down the JVM, even if the daemon threads are still running.
Also, it's important to design daemon threads carefully, as they should not perform any important tasks or hold any resources that need to be cleaned up before the JVM shuts down. In general, it's best to use non-daemon threads for any tasks that are critical to the operation of your application.
Explain race condition.
A race condition occurs in a concurrent system when the output of the program depends on the timing or order of execution of threads. This can cause unexpected behavior, as the outcome of the program may change depending on the speed of the processors, the load on the system, or other factors.
For example, consider a simple bank account that has a balance and two methods for depositing and withdrawing money. If two threads attempt to deposit money into or withdraw money from the account at the same time, a race condition can occur. If the first thread checks the balance, performs a calculation, and then updates the balance, and the second thread does the same thing at the same time, it's possible that the final balance will be incorrect. This is because the two threads are competing for access to the shared balance, and the final result depends on which thread wins the race.
To prevent race conditions, it's important to use synchronization to ensure that access to shared resources is properly synchronized between threads. In the example above, this could be done by using a synchronized
block or a lock to ensure that only one thread can access the balance at a time.
In general, race conditions can be difficult to identify and debug, and it's important to be aware of them when designing and implementing concurrent systems. Proper synchronization and testing can help to prevent and detect race conditions.
How locks are used in multithreading?
Locks are a mechanism for controlling access to shared resources in a multithreaded environment. Locks provide a way for threads to block and wait for access to a shared resource, and to be notified when access is available.
In Java, the java.util.concurrent.locks.Lock
interface provides a mechanism for controlling access to shared resources in a multithreaded environment. To use a lock, you can create an instance of a lock implementation, such as ReentrantLock
, and use its lock()
and unlock()
methods to control access to a shared resource.
For example, consider a simple bank account that has a balance and two methods for depositing and withdrawing money. To prevent race conditions, you can use a lock to synchronize access to the shared balance:
In this example, the lock is used to ensure that only one thread can access the balance at a time. When a thread calls the deposit
or withdraw
method, it acquires the lock, performs the calculation, and then releases the lock. This ensures that the balance is updated atomically and that there are no race conditions.
Locks are a powerful tool for controlling access to shared resources in a multithreaded environment, but they can also lead to deadlocks if used incorrectly. To avoid deadlocks, it's important to design and implement locking strategies carefully, and to test your code thoroughly.
How synchronization is implemented in Java?
Synchronization is a mechanism for controlling access to shared resources in a multithreaded environment. In Java, synchronization is implemented using the synchronized
keyword and the java.util.concurrent.locks.Lock
interface.
The synchronized
keyword can be used to synchronize access to a method or a block of code. When a thread enters a synchronized
method or block, it acquires the intrinsic lock for the object, and other threads are blocked from entering the same method or block until the lock is released.
For example, consider a simple bank account that has a balance and two methods for depositing and withdrawing money. To prevent race conditions, you can use synchronized
to synchronize access to the shared balance:
In this example, the synchronized
keyword is used to synchronize access to the deposit
and withdraw
methods. When a thread enters one of these methods, it acquires the intrinsic lock for the BankAccount
object, and other threads are blocked from entering either method until the lock is released. This ensures that the balance is updated atomically and that there are no race conditions.
The java.util.concurrent.locks.Lock
interface provides a more flexible mechanism for controlling access to shared resources in a multithreaded environment. To use a lock, you can create an instance of a lock implementation, such as ReentrantLock
, and use its lock()
and unlock()
methods to control access to a shared resource. This can be more flexible than using synchronized
, as it allows you to use try-finally blocks to ensure that the lock is always released, even in the presence of exceptions.
In general, synchronization is an important mechanism for controlling access to shared resources in a multithreaded environment, and it's important to be familiar with both the synchronized
keyword and the Lock
interface when working with concurrency in Java.
On which object the lock is implemented when we use a synchronized method?
The lock is implemented on the object when we use a synchronized method. When we declare a method as synchronized
, it means that only one thread can access the method at a time. When a thread enters a synchronized method, it acquires a lock on the object that the method belongs to. No other thread can enter any synchronized method on the same object until the first thread has exited the method and released the lock.
This ensures that only one thread can access the object's state at a time, which helps prevent race conditions and other synchronization-related problems.
Here's an example to illustrate this:
In this example, the lock is implemented on the Example
object. If two threads try to call someMethod
on the same Example
object simultaneously, only one of them will be able to enter the method and execute its code. The other thread will be blocked until the first thread has exited the method and released the lock.
In which case do we not need to pass any mutex object?
You do not need to pass a mutex object in the following cases:
When using synchronized methods: As explained in the previous answer, if you declare a method as
synchronized
, the lock is automatically implemented on the object that the method belongs to. In this case, you do not need to pass a mutex object explicitly.When using synchronized blocks: If you only need to synchronize access to a specific section of code, rather than an entire method, you can use a synchronized block. The lock is still implemented on an object, but in this case, you specify the object yourself. You do not need to pass a mutex object in this case either, since the lock is already implemented on the specified object.
Here's an example to illustrate this:
In this example, the lock is implemented on the lock
object, which is a private final field in the Example
class. When a thread enters the synchronized block, it acquires a lock on the lock
object, and no other thread can enter the block until the first thread has exited the block and released the lock.
How to handle custom objects as key in HashMap?
If you want to use a custom object as a key in a HashMap
, you need to make sure that the custom object implements the hashCode
and equals
methods correctly. The hashCode
method should return a unique value for each instance of the object, and the equals
method should compare the objects correctly.
Here's an example to illustrate this:
In this example, the Key
class implements the hashCode
and equals
methods correctly. The hashCode
method uses the Objects.hash
method to generate a unique value for each instance of the Key
object, based on its id
and name
fields. The equals
method compares the id
and name
fields of two Key
objects to determine if they are equal.
With these methods implemented, you can use instances of the Key
class as keys in a HashMap
, and the HashMap
will work as expected:
In this example, we create a HashMap
with Key
objects as keys and Integer
values. We add an entry to the map with a Key
object, and then retrieve the value associated with that key. With the hashCode
and equals
methods implemented correctly, the HashMap
will be able to find the correct entry in the map based on the key.
Explain Tree data structure.
A tree is a data structure that is used to represent a hierarchical structure. It consists of nodes connected by edges, where each node represents an object, and each edge represents a relationship between two objects.
In a tree, there is one special node called the root node, which is the topmost node in the hierarchy. The root node has zero or more child nodes, and each child node can have zero or more child nodes of its own. This creates a hierarchical structure, where each node is a parent of its child nodes, and a child of its parent node.
Each node in a tree has a unique path from the root to that node. The length of the path represents the depth of the node. A node with no children is called a leaf node.
There are several types of trees, including:
Binary Trees: In a binary tree, each node has at most two children.
B-Trees: A B-Tree is a self-balancing tree that is used to store data in a large, ordered data set.
AVL Trees: An AVL tree is a self-balancing binary search tree, where the height of the two subtrees of any node differs by at most one.
Trie Trees: A Trie tree is a tree-like data structure used to store an associative array where the keys are sequences (usually strings).
Trees are commonly used for searching, sorting, and organizing data in a way that makes it easy to access and manipulate. For example, in computer science, trees are used for representing expressions, file systems, and network topologies. In data science, trees are used for decision trees, random forests, and gradient boosting.
Can have custom exceptions? Can we have custom errors?
Yes, you can have custom exceptions in programming. An exception is a special type of object that is used to represent an error that occurs during the execution of a program. Custom exceptions allow you to define your own exception types, specific to your application's needs.
Here's an example of how you can create a custom exception in Java:
In this example, the CustomException
class extends the Exception
class, which is a standard exception type in Java. By extending the Exception
class, we can create a custom exception type that has all the functionality of a standard exception, but is specific to our application.
Custom exceptions are used to indicate errors that are specific to your application, and they can be caught and handled just like any other exception. For example:
Regarding custom errors, there is no specific concept of "custom errors" in programming. However, you can use the error handling mechanisms provided by the programming language, such as exceptions, to create and handle custom error conditions in your application. The exact way of doing this can vary depending on the programming language you are using.
Return true
if a list of numbers contains odd numbers, false
otherwise using Java 8
true
if a list of numbers contains odd numbers, false
otherwise using Java 8Here's one way to solve this problem using Java 8:
In this code, containsOddNumber
is the method that solves the problem. It takes a List
of Integer
s as input and returns a boolean
.
First, we convert the List
to a stream using the stream
method. Then, we use the anyMatch
method to check if any of the numbers in the stream are odd. The lambda expression n -> n % 2 != 0
returns true
if a number is odd and false
otherwise. If any of the numbers in the stream match the condition, anyMatch
returns true
, indicating that the List
contains an odd number.
What is @RequestBody
and @ResponseBody
annotation?
@RequestBody
and @ResponseBody
annotation?@RequestBody
and @ResponseBody
are annotations in Spring framework used to bind the request body or response body of a web request to a method parameter or return type, respectively.
@RequestBody
: This annotation is used on a method parameter to bind the body of the HTTP request to that parameter. When a client sends a request to the server, the body of the request contains data that can be used to modify or create a resource on the server. For example, when creating a new user, the client might send a POST request with the user data in the request body. In this case, the server can use the @RequestBody
annotation to bind the request body to a method parameter:
In this example, the createUser
method takes a User
parameter annotated with @RequestBody
. The method uses this parameter to create a new user on the server.
@ResponseBody
: This annotation is used on a method to indicate that the return value should be bound to the response body. When the server returns a response to the client, the response body contains the data that the client requested or the result of an operation performed on the server. For example, when getting a user, the server might return a GET request with the user data in the response body:
In this example, the getUser
method returns a User
object, annotated with @ResponseBody
. The method uses this annotation to indicate that the return value should be bound to the response body, and sent back to the client as the result of the GET request.
How to resolve circular dependency problem in Spring Boot?
Circular dependencies can occur in Spring when two or more beans depend on each other, creating a circular reference. This can cause unpredictable behavior and make your application difficult to maintain.
There are several ways to resolve circular dependencies in Spring:
Refactor your code: You can refactor your code to eliminate the circular reference. For example, you can extract common functionality into a separate bean, and have both the dependent beans depend on that bean.
Use
@Lazy
annotation: You can use the@Lazy
annotation on one of the beans to break the circular reference. The@Lazy
annotation causes the bean to be created only when it's first needed, instead of being created eagerly when the application starts.
In this example, both BeanA
and BeanB
depend on each other, creating a circular reference. By annotating BeanB
with @Lazy
, the circular reference is broken, and BeanB
is created only when it's first needed.
Use
ObjectFactory
orProvider
: You can use theObjectFactory
orProvider
interface to break the circular reference. Instead of injecting a bean directly, you can inject anObjectFactory
orProvider
that provides the bean when it's needed.
In this example, BeanA
injects an ObjectFactory
of BeanB
instead of injecting BeanB
directly. The ObjectFactory
provides BeanB
only when it's needed, breaking the circular reference.
These are some of the ways to resolve circular dependencies in Spring. Choose the method that best fits your use case, and refactor your code accordingly.
What goes in the stack and what goes in the heap in detail?
In Java, the stack and heap are two distinct areas of memory used by the Java Virtual Machine (JVM) to store data. Understanding the difference between the stack and the heap is important for understanding how memory is managed in Java and how it impacts the performance and scalability of Java applications.
Here's a detailed explanation of what goes in the stack and what goes in the heap:
Stack
The stack is a memory area used to store data related to method invocations, including local variables and method call information. In Java, each method invocation creates a new stack frame, which contains the data for that method call. When the method returns, the stack frame is popped off the stack, and the memory associated with that stack frame is freed.
The following data types are stored in the stack:
Primitive data types (such as
int
,char
,boolean
, etc.)Reference variables to objects on the heap (such as object references, arrays, etc.)
Method call information (such as return addresses, method arguments, etc.)
The stack has a limited size, and if a method invokes a large number of methods or if the stack frames are too large, a StackOverflowError
can occur, indicating that the stack has run out of memory.
Heap
The heap is a memory area used to store objects and arrays. Objects and arrays are created on the heap, and their references are stored in the stack. The heap is shared by all threads in the JVM, and its size can be dynamically adjusted by the JVM based on the memory requirements of the application.
The following data types are stored in the heap:
Objects
Arrays
Objects and arrays on the heap are subject to garbage collection, which is the process of freeing up memory that is no longer being used by the application. The JVM periodically runs the garbage collector to reclaim memory that is no longer being used.
In conclusion, the stack and heap are two distinct areas of memory used by the JVM to store different types of data, and understanding the difference between the two is important for understanding how memory is managed in Java.
Explain checked and unchecked exceptions.
In Java, exceptions are used to handle error conditions in a program. There are two types of exceptions in Java: checked and unchecked exceptions.
Checked Exceptions
Checked exceptions are exceptions that the Java compiler requires you to handle or declare in your code. If a method throws a checked exception, it must either catch the exception or declare it in the method signature using the throws
keyword. If a method does not catch or declare a checked exception, the Java compiler will generate an error.
Examples of checked exceptions include:
FileNotFoundException
: Thrown when a file cannot be found.IOException
: Thrown when an I/O error occurs.SQLException
: Thrown when a database error occurs.
Checked exceptions are used to indicate errors that are expected to occur during the normal execution of a program. By forcing the programmer to handle or declare checked exceptions, the Java compiler ensures that the programmer is aware of the error conditions that can occur and takes appropriate steps to handle them.
Unchecked Exceptions
Unchecked exceptions are exceptions that the Java compiler does not require you to handle or declare. If a method throws an unchecked exception, you can choose to catch it or not. If you do not catch an unchecked exception, it will propagate up the call stack until it is caught by the nearest catch block or until it reaches the main method, where it will cause the program to terminate.
Examples of unchecked exceptions include:
NullPointerException
: Thrown when an application tries to use a null reference.IllegalArgumentException
: Thrown when a method is passed an illegal argument.ArrayIndexOutOfBoundsException
: Thrown when an array is accessed with an index that is out of bounds.
Unchecked exceptions are used to indicate errors that are not expected to occur during the normal execution of a program. By not requiring the programmer to handle or declare unchecked exceptions, the Java compiler allows the programmer to write simpler, cleaner code.
In conclusion, checked exceptions and unchecked exceptions are two types of exceptions in Java that are used to handle different types of error conditions. Checked exceptions are used to indicate errors that are expected to occur during the normal execution of a program, while unchecked exceptions are used to indicate errors that are not expected to occur.
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