Cracking the Java Generics Interview: Tips and Must-Know Questions
Cracking the Java Generics Interview: Tips and Must-Know Questions Work through these 12 questions out loud. Open any question for the full model answer, the trap to avoid, and the follow-up a panel usually asks.
Explain immutability and why String is immutable.
Immutable objects cannot change after build — thread-safe without synchronization. String immutability allows intern pool, caching hashCode, and security when used as...
Explain garbage collection basics in the JVM.
New objects allocate in Eden; minor GC copies survivors to survivor spaces, then old gen. When old gen fills, major/full GC runs — longer pauses. Tune -Xmx, choose G1 for...
What is Optional and when should you use it?
Use Optional as return type when absence is expected — findById returns Optional<User>. Chain with map/flatMap/orElseThrow. Do not use for fields, method parameters, or Jackson...
Explain the difference between == and .equals() in Java.
For primitives, == compares values. For objects, == asks if two references point to the same instance. equals() compares content when overridden — String overrides it for...
What is the difference between ArrayList and LinkedList?
ArrayList: dynamic array, great for get(i) and iteration, amortized append. LinkedList: node chain, costly random access, only wins for frequent insert/remove in middle with...
What is the difference between Comparable and Comparator?
Comparable built into the type — Employee implements compareTo by id. Comparator external — sort by name or salary without changing Employee. Use...
Explain method overloading vs overriding.
Overload print(int) and print(String) in one class — compiler picks at compile time. Override toString in subclass — JVM calls subclass version via virtual method table....
volatile vs synchronized — when to use each?
volatile for single-writer flags (shutdown, initialized) where no read-modify-write. synchronized or java.util.concurrent locks when multiple threads update shared state. For...
How do you handle exceptions globally in Spring?
Create @RestControllerAdvice with @ExceptionHandler(MethodArgumentNotValidException.class) returning 400 + field map, NotFoundException → 404, generic Exception → 500 without...
What is the Backend-for-Frontend (BFF) pattern?
Mobile BFF /mobile/home aggregates user profile + feed + notifications in one round trip. Web BFF different field selection. BFF handles OAuth BFF cookie pattern. Domain...
What do module import declarations in JDK 25 change, and how is that different from wildcard type imports?
In a compact demo I might import module java.base and java.sql. In a Spring service I keep explicit package imports — reviewers grep those. I would not claim it replaces JPMS...
HashMap vs ConcurrentHashMap — when and why?
HashMap for single-threaded or external synchronization. ConcurrentHashMap for shared concurrent maps — finer-grained locking than Hashtable. Cannot store null keys/values in...
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