Static and Non-Static

 

What is the purpose of the static keyword in Java?

The static keyword is used to declare class-level variables and methods. They belong to the class rather than instances of the class and can be accessed using the class name.

can we use the static keyword for package level access?

In Java, the static keyword is not used for controlling access levels. The static keyword is primarily used to define class-level members, such as variables and methods, that are associated with the class itself rather than with instances of the class. The concept of access levels, on the other hand, is controlled by access modifiers.

public class MyClass {

    public static int publicStaticVariable = 10;

    static int packagePrivateStaticVariable = 20; // package-private by default

    private static int privateStaticVariable = 30;

}

To summarize, while static is used to define class-level members, access modifiers (public, protected, default, private) are used to control the visibility and accessibility of those members. The use of static and access modifiers is independent of each other.

It's important to note that while static members have their use cases, they should be used judiciously, as overuse of static members can lead to code that is tightly coupled and less maintainable. Instance-specific members (non-static) are more common in object-oriented programming, where each object has its state and behavior.

does instance of the classes are non-static?

Instances of a class are non-static. When we create objects (instances) of a class in Java, each object has its own set of instance variables and instance methods. These are attributes and behaviour’s that are specific to each individual object.