Comparing Objects in Java: equals() vs Objects.equals()

The equals() method in Java is commonly used for comparison, and developers often override it in custom classes to determine object equality. Consider the following example of a User class with an overridden equals method:public class User { private String username; // User's login name private int age; // User's age private String ...

Posted on Tue, 19 May 2026 00:26:22 +0000 by ColinP

Why hashCode Must Be Overridden When equals Is Overridden in Java

Entity Class Definition Let's define a simple Rectangle class that overrides the equals method to compare objects based on their width and height values instead of reference equality. class Rectangle { private int width; private int height; public int getWidth() { return width; } public void setWidth(int width) { ...

Posted on Wed, 13 May 2026 13:15:07 +0000 by nolos

Implementing Custom Objects as HashMap Keys in Java

In Java, the HashMap implementation uses the hashCode() method to determine the storage bucket for a key and the equals() method to check for key equality. The default implementation in the Object class generates a hash code based on the object's memory address. This behavior creates a problem when using custom objects as keys: two distinct ins ...

Posted on Sat, 09 May 2026 05:35:46 +0000 by elbowgrease