String Objects vs. String Literals: What's the Difference?

Distinguished Differences: String Objects vs. String Literals

The divergence between string objects and string literals, defined with new String("abc") and "abc", respectively, lies in their interning and object creation mechanisms.

Interning: A Tale of Efficiency

String literals enjoy the potential advantage of interning, a process where the string is stored in a pool of previously encountered strings. This provides an efficiency boost since the string can be accessed by reference rather than being created anew.

String a = "abc"; 
String b = "abc";
System.out.println(a == b);  // true

Here, a and b refer to the same interned string, represented by true.

Object Creation: Distinct Identities

In contrast, string objects created with new String() are instantiated as separate entities, each with its own unique reference.

String c = new String("abc");
String d = new String("abc");
System.out.println(c == d);  // false

In this case, == returns false because c and d refer to distinct string objects, even though they contain the same character sequence.

Optimization and Readability: Guiding Principles

For optimal code, string literals are the preferred choice. They are more legible and allow the compiler to optimize your code by utilizing interning, where feasible.

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