1. What’s the difference between == and .equals() in Java?

Answer:
●​ == compares object references (memory addresses).
●​ .equals() compares object content (logical equality).

2. What is the difference between abstraction and encapsulation?

Answer:
●​ Abstraction hides implementation details and shows only functionality.
●​ Encapsulation binds data and methods together and restricts access.

3. What is a deadlock and how can it be prevented?

Answer:
Deadlock occurs when two or more threads are waiting for each other’s resources indefinitely.

Prevention Techniques:
●​ Avoid nested locks.
●​ Use timeout for locks.
●​ Lock ordering.
4. What is the use of volatile keyword?
Answer:
It ensures visibility of changes to variables across threads.

Without volatile, one thread might not see the updated value of flag.

5. What is the difference between throw and throws?

Answer:
●​ throw is used to explicitly throw an exception.
●​ throws declares exceptions a method might throw.

6. What is the difference between ArrayList and LinkedList?

Answer:
●​ ArrayList is faster for random access.
●​ LinkedList is better for frequent insertions/deletions.
7. What is the role of final, finally, and finalize()?
Answer:
●​ final: constant or non-overridable.
●​ finally: block that always executes.
●​ finalize(): called before garbage collection.
8. What is the Builder Pattern?
Answer:
Used to construct complex objects step-by-step.

9. What is the difference between map() and flatMap() in Java Streams?

Answer:
●​ map() transforms each element.
●​ flatMap() flattens nested structures.
10. What is connection pooling?
Answer:
It reuses database connections to improve performance.

11. How does HashMap work internally?

Answer:
HashMap uses an array of buckets. Each bucket is a linked list or tree (after Java 8). It stores
key-value pairs using the hashCode of the key.

Behind the scenes, "name".hashCode() determines the bucket index.

12. What is the difference between method overloading and overriding?

Answer:
●​ Overloading: Same method name, different parameters (compile-time).
●​ Overriding: Same method signature in subclass (runtime).
13. What is the difference between Comparable and Comparator?
Answer:
●​ Comparable: Natural ordering, implemented in the class.
●​ Comparator: Custom ordering, defined externally.

14. What is try-with-resources?

Answer:
It automatically closes resources like streams or connections.

15. What is the difference between map() and flatMap() in Streams?

Answer:
●​ map(): Transforms each element.
●​ flatMap(): Flattens nested structures.
16. What is immutability in Java?
Answer:
Immutable objects cannot be changed after creation. Helps with thread safety.

17. What is the Singleton Pattern?

Answer:
Ensures only one instance of a class exists.

18. What is the role of JVM in Java?

Answer:
JVM executes Java bytecode and provides platform independence.
Example:
Java source → .class bytecode → JVM interprets → Machine code

19. What is garbage collection?

Answer:
Automatic memory cleanup of unused objects.
20. What is the difference between HashSet and TreeSet?
Answer:
●​ HashSet: Unordered, faster.
●​ TreeSet: Sorted, slower.

21. What is the difference between synchronized method and block?

Answer:
●​ synchronized method locks the entire method.
●​ synchronized block locks only a portion of code, offering better performance.

22. What is the role of Optional in Java?

Answer:
It helps avoid NullPointerException by wrapping values that may be null.

23. What is fail-fast vs fail-safe iterator?

Answer:
●​ Fail-fast throws ConcurrentModificationException.
●​ Fail-safe works on a cloned copy.
24. What is the difference between checked and unchecked exceptions?
Answer:
●​ Checked: Must be handled (e.g., IOException).
●​ Unchecked: Runtime exceptions (e.g., NullPointerException).

25. What is the use of Stream API?

Answer:
Simplifies collection processing with functional-style operations.

26. What is the difference between final, finally, and finalize()?

Answer:
●​ final: Prevents modification.
●​ finally: Executes after try-catch.
●​ finalize(): Called before GC.
27. What is the Factory Pattern?
Answer:
Creates objects without exposing instantiation logic.

28. What is serialization in Java?

Answer:
Converts object state to byte stream for storage or transmission.

29. What is the difference between throw and throws?

Answer:
●​ throw: Used to throw an exception.
●​ throws: Declares exceptions a method might throw.

30. What is the role of ExecutorService?

Answer:
Manages thread pools and simplifies concurrent execution.
31. What are functional interfaces in Java?
Answer:
A functional interface has exactly one abstract method and can be used with lambda
expressions.

32. What is the Strategy Pattern?

Answer:
It allows selecting an algorithm at runtime by encapsulating behaviors.

33. What is the difference between LinkedHashMap and TreeMap?

Answer:
●​ LinkedHashMap: Maintains insertion order.
●​ TreeMap: Maintains sorted order based on keys.
34. What is the Observer Pattern?
Answer:
It defines a one-to-many dependency between objects so that when one changes, all
dependents are notified.

35. What is the difference between static and instance methods?

Answer:
●​ static: Belongs to the class, no object needed.
●​ instance: Belongs to object, requires instantiation.

36. How to prevent SQL injection in Java?

Answer:
Use PreparedStatement instead of string concatenation.

PreparedStatement ps = conn.prepareStatement("SELECT * FROM users WHERE name = ?");

ps.setString(1, "Venkat");

37. What is the difference between StringBuilder and StringBuffer?

Answer:
●​ StringBuilder: Not thread-safe, faster.
●​ StringBuffer: Thread-safe, slower.
38. What is dynamic proxy in Java?
Answer:
Allows creation of proxy instances at runtime using reflection.

39. What is the difference between List.of() and Arrays.asList()?

Answer:
●​ List.of(): Immutable list.
●​ Arrays.asList(): Fixed-size list backed by array.

40. What is the role of annotations in Java?

Answer:
Annotations provide metadata to the compiler and runtime.

41. What is the difference between interface and abstract class?

Answer:
●​ Interface: All methods are abstract by default (Java 8+ allows default/static methods).
●​ Abstract class: Can have both abstract and concrete methods.
42. What is the difference between == and equals() for objects?
Answer:
●​ ==: Compares memory addresses.
●​ equals(): Compares logical content.

43. What is the difference between HashMap and Hashtable?

Answer:
●​ HashMap: Not synchronized, allows null keys/values.
●​ Hashtable: Synchronized, doesn’t allow nulls.

44. What is the difference between throw and throws?

Answer:
●​ throw: Used to actually throw an exception.
●​ throws: Declares possible exceptions.

45. What is the difference between static and final?

Answer:
●​ static: Belongs to the class.
●​ final: Cannot be changed once assigned.
46. What is connection pooling?
Answer:
Connection pooling reuses database connections to improve performance and reduce
overhead.

47. What is the difference between JDK, JRE, and JVM?

Answer:
●​ JDK: Java Development Kit (compiler + tools + JRE).
●​ JRE: Java Runtime Environment (libraries + JVM).
●​ JVM: Executes bytecode.

48. What is the difference between synchronized and Lock?

Answer:
●​ synchronized: Simpler, implicit locking.
●​ Lock: More flexible, explicit control.

49. What is the difference between Stack and Queue?

Answer:
●​ Stack: LIFO (Last In First Out).
●​ Queue: FIFO (First In First Out).
50. What is the difference between deep copy and shallow copy?
Answer:
●​ Shallow copy: Copies references.
●​ Deep copy: Copies actual objects recursively.