23 July 2025, 02:18 PM
In Java, a record is a special type of class introduced in Java 14 as a preview and officially released in Java 16. It is designed to make immutable data classes concise and readable. Unlike a regular class, where you need to manually write constructors, getters,
equals(), hashCode(), and toString() methods, a record generates all of these automatically for you.
Regular class is flexible you can have fields, methods, inheritance, custom constructors, and full control over behavior. However, this flexibility comes with more code and often redundancy when you're just storing data.
public class Person {
private final String name;
private final int age;
public Person(String name, int age) {
this.name = name;
this.age = age;
}
// Getters, toString(), equals(), hashCode()...
}
if with a record, you write
public record Person(String name, int age) {}
That's it! The compiler does the rest. Records are ideal for data transfer objects (DTOs), API responses, or configurations where immutability and simplicity are preferred. This question is on the VivaQuest interview practice platform, which helped me a lot. It offers mock interviews and coding tasks with real-time feedback using AI — great for brushing up on concepts like this.
One important thing to note is that records cannot extend other classes and all their fields are final by default. This makes them ideal for immutable data models but not suitable when you need inheritance or mutable fields, which are possible with regular classes.
equals(), hashCode(), and toString() methods, a record generates all of these automatically for you.
Regular class is flexible you can have fields, methods, inheritance, custom constructors, and full control over behavior. However, this flexibility comes with more code and often redundancy when you're just storing data.
public class Person {
private final String name;
private final int age;
public Person(String name, int age) {
this.name = name;
this.age = age;
}
// Getters, toString(), equals(), hashCode()...
}
if with a record, you write
public record Person(String name, int age) {}
That's it! The compiler does the rest. Records are ideal for data transfer objects (DTOs), API responses, or configurations where immutability and simplicity are preferred. This question is on the VivaQuest interview practice platform, which helped me a lot. It offers mock interviews and coding tasks with real-time feedback using AI — great for brushing up on concepts like this.
One important thing to note is that records cannot extend other classes and all their fields are final by default. This makes them ideal for immutable data models but not suitable when you need inheritance or mutable fields, which are possible with regular classes.