Collection Framework

Collections in Java
The Collection in Java is a framework that provides an architecture to store and manipulate the group of
objects.Java Collections can achieve all the operations that you perform on a data such as searching,
sorting, insertion, manipulation, and deletion.

Java Collection means a single unit of objects. Java Collection framework provides many interfaces (Set,
List, Queue, Deque) and classes (ArrayList, Vector, LinkedList, PriorityQueue, HashSet, LinkedHashSet,
TreeSet).

What is Collection in Java

A Collection represents a single unit of objects, i.e., a group.

What is a framework in Java

o It provides readymade architecture.
o It represents a set of classes and interfaces.
o It is optional.

What is Collection framework

The Collection framework represents a unified architecture for storing and manipulating a group of
objects. It has:
1. Interfaces and its implementations, i.e., classes
2. Algorithm
Hierarchy of Collection Framework
Let us see the hierarchy of Collection framework. The java.util package contains all
the classes and interfaces for the Collection framework.

Collection Interface
The Collection interface is the interface which is implemented by all the classes in the collection
framework. It declares the methods that every collection will have. In other words, we can say that the
Collection interface builds the foundation on which the collection framework depends.Some of the
methods of Collection interface are Boolean add ( Object obj), Boolean addAll ( Collection c), void
clear(), etc. which are implemented by all the subclasses of Collection interface.
List Interface
List interface is the child interface of Collection interface. It inhibits a list type data structure in which we
can store the ordered collection of objects. It can have duplicate values. List interface is implemented by
the classes ArrayList, LinkedList, Vector, and Stack.

To instantiate the List interface, we must use :

1. List <data-type> list1= new ArrayList();
2. List <data-type> list2 = new LinkedList();
3. List <data-type> list3 = new Vector();
4. List <data-type> list4 = new Stack();
There are various methods in List interface that can be used to insert, delete, and access the elements from
the list.
The classes that implement the List interface are given below.
ArrayList
The ArrayList class implements the List interface. It uses a dynamic array to store the duplicate element
of different data types. The ArrayList class maintains the insertion order and is non-synchronized. The
elements stored in the ArrayList class can be randomly accessed.

Consider the following example.

Program-1
Program-2
LinkedList
LinkedList implements the Collection interface. It uses a doubly linked list internally to store the
elements. It can store the duplicate elements. It maintains the insertion order and is not synchronized. In
LinkedList, the manipulation is fast because no shifting is required. Consider the following example.
Vector
Vector uses a dynamic array to store the data elements. It is similar to ArrayList.
However, It is synchronized and contains many methods that are not the part of
Collection framework.Consider the following example.
Stack
The stack is the subclass of Vector. It implements the last-in-first-out data structure,
i.e., Stack. The stack contains all of the methods of Vector class and also provides its
methods like boolean push(), boolean peek(), boolean push(object o), which defines its
properties.Consider the following example.

Queue Interface
Queue interface maintains the first-in-first-out order. It can be defined as an ordered
list that is used to hold the elements which are about to be processed. There are
various classes like PriorityQueue, Deque, and ArrayDeque which implements the
Queue interface.

Queue interface can be instantiated as:

1. Queue<String> q1 = new PriorityQueue();

2. Queue<String> q2 = new ArrayDeque();

There are various classes that implement the Queue interface, some of them are given
below.
PriorityQueue
The PriorityQueue class implements the Queue interface. It holds the elements or
objects which are to be processed by their priorities. PriorityQueue doesn't allow null
values to be stored in the queue.

Consider the following example.

Deque Interface
Deque interface extends the Queue interface. In Deque, we can remove and add the
elements from both the side. Deque stands for a double-ended queue which enables us
to perform the operations at both the ends.

Deque can be instantiated as:

1. Deque d = new ArrayDeque();

ArrayDeque
ArrayDeque class implements the Deque interface. It facilitates us to use the Deque.
Unlike queue, we can add or delete the elements from both the ends.

ArrayDeque is faster than ArrayList and Stack and has no capacity restrictions.

Set Interface
Set Interface in Java is present in java.util package. It extends the Collection interface.
It represents the unordered set of elements which doesn't allow us to store the
duplicate items. We can store at most one null value in Set. Set is implemented by
HashSet, LinkedHashSet, and TreeSet.

Set can be instantiated as:

1. Set<data-type> s1 = new HashSet<data-type>();

2. Set<data-type> s2 = new LinkedHashSet<data-type>();
3. Set<data-type> s3 = new TreeSet<data-type>();
HashSet
HashSet class implements Set Interface. It represents the collection that uses a hash
table for storage. Hashing is used to store the elements in the HashSet. It contains
unique items.

Consider the following example.

Program-2
LinkedHashSet
LinkedHashSet class represents the LinkedList implementation of Set Interface. It
extends the HashSet class and implements Set interface. Like HashSet, It also contains
unique elements. It maintains the insertion order and permits null elements.
SortedSet Interface
SortedSet is the alternate of Set interface that provides a total ordering on its elements.
The elements of the SortedSet are arranged in the increasing (ascending) order. The
SortedSet provides the additional methods that inhibit the natural ordering of the
elements.

The SortedSet can be instantiated as:

1. SortedSet<data-type> set = new TreeSet();

TreeSet
Java TreeSet class implements the Set interface that uses a tree for storage. Like
HashSet, TreeSet also contains unique elements. However, the access and retrieval time
of TreeSet is quite fast. The elements in TreeSet stored in ascending order.
Difference between Array And ArrayList

Basis Array ArrayList

An array is a dynamically-created
The ArrayList is a class of
object. It serves as a container that
Java Collections framework. It contains
Definition holds the constant number of
popular classes like Vector, HashTable,
values of the same type. It has a
and HashMap.
contiguous memory location.

Static/
Array is static in size. ArrayList is dynamic in size.
Dynamic

ArrayList is a variable-length data

An array is a fixed-length data
Resizable structure. It can be resized itself when
structure.
needed.

It is mandatory to provide the size We can create an instance of ArrayList

Initialization of an array while initializing it without specifying its size. Java creates
directly or indirectly. ArrayList of default size.

ArrayList is internally backed by the array

It performs fast in comparison to
Performance in Java. The resize operation in ArrayList
ArrayList because of fixed size.
slows down the performance.

We cannot store primitive type in

Primitive/ An array can store
ArrayList. It automatically converts
Generic type both objects and primitives type.
primitive type to object.

Iterating We use for loop or for each loop to We use an iterator to iterate over
Values iterate over an array. ArrayList.

We cannot use generics along with ArrayList allows us to store

Type-Safety array because it is not a convertible only generic/ type, that's why it is
type of array. type-safe.

Array provides a length variable

ArrayList provides the size() method to
Length which denotes the length of an
determine the size of ArrayList.
array.

Adding We can add elements in an array by Java provides the add() method to add
Elements using the assignment operator. elements in the ArrayList.

Single/
Multi- Array can be multi-dimensional. ArrayList is always single-dimensional.
Dimensional

Difference between ArrayList And Linked List

ArrayList LinkedList

1) ArrayList internally uses a dynamic LinkedList internally uses a doubly linked

array to store the elements. list to store the elements.

2) Manipulation with ArrayList Manipulation with LinkedList is faster than

is slow because it internally uses an array. If ArrayList because it uses a doubly linked
any element is removed from the array, all list, so no bit shifting is required in
the bits are shifted in memory. memory.

3) An ArrayList class can act as a list only LinkedList class can act as a list and
because it implements List only. queue both because it implements List and
Deque interfaces.