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Java Collections Interview Guide

The Java Collection Framework (JCF) provides a set of classes and interfaces for reusable collection data structures and algorithms for manipulation. It includes core interfaces such as Collection and Map, with various implementations like List, Set, Queue, and their respective classes. The guide also covers best practices, common interview questions, and recommended resources for further learning.

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10 views3 pages

Java Collections Interview Guide

The Java Collection Framework (JCF) provides a set of classes and interfaces for reusable collection data structures and algorithms for manipulation. It includes core interfaces such as Collection and Map, with various implementations like List, Set, Queue, and their respective classes. The guide also covers best practices, common interview questions, and recommended resources for further learning.

Uploaded by

wxmmv4mw57
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Java Collection Framework - Interview Study Guide

What is Java Collection Framework?

Java Collection Framework (JCF) is a set of classes and interfaces that implement commonly reusable

collection data structures. It provides algorithms to manipulate them such as searching, sorting, and shuffling.

Hierarchy of Java Collections

Core Interfaces:

- Collection: Root interface for List, Set, and Queue

- Map: Key-value pairs

Classes:

- List: ArrayList, LinkedList, Vector

- Set: HashSet, TreeSet, LinkedHashSet

- Queue: PriorityQueue, ArrayDeque

- Map: HashMap, TreeMap, LinkedHashMap

List Interface

List is an ordered collection that allows duplicates.

- ArrayList: Best for random access

- LinkedList: Best for insert/delete

- Vector: Synchronized, legacy

Set Interface

Set does not allow duplicates.

- HashSet: No order, backed by HashMap

- LinkedHashSet: Maintains insertion order

- TreeSet: Sorted, uses Red-Black Tree

Queue Interface

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Java Collection Framework - Interview Study Guide

Queue follows FIFO.

- PriorityQueue: Ordered by comparator or natural order

- ArrayDeque: Double-ended queue with no capacity restrictions

Map Interface

Map holds key-value pairs.

- HashMap: Allows one null key, fast access

- LinkedHashMap: Maintains insertion order

- TreeMap: Sorted keys

- ConcurrentHashMap: Thread-safe and high-performance

Collections Utility Class

Collections class provides utility methods such as:

- sort(), reverse(), shuffle()

- synchronizedList(), unmodifiableList()

Iterator and ListIterator

Iterator: Forward only, all collections

ListIterator: Bi-directional, only for List

Concurrent Collections

- ConcurrentHashMap: Segment-based concurrency

- CopyOnWriteArrayList: Safe iteration during modification

- BlockingQueue: Used for producer-consumer scenarios

Best Practices

- Prefer ArrayList for reads, LinkedList for inserts

- Use Set for uniqueness

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Java Collection Framework - Interview Study Guide

- Use ConcurrentHashMap in multithreaded environments

- Always override hashCode() and equals() for keys

Code Examples

Remove Duplicates:

Set<T> set = new LinkedHashSet<>(list);

Sort Map by Value:

map.entrySet().stream().sorted(Map.Entry.comparingByValue())

Custom Comparator:

Collections.sort(list, (a, b) -> b.age - a.age);

Common Interview Questions

- Why Set doesn't allow duplicates?

- How does HashMap handle collisions?

- Difference between HashMap, TreeMap, LinkedHashMap

- Why hashCode() and equals() matter?

- Fail-fast vs fail-safe

- Performance and thread-safety aspects

Recommended Resources

- Java Docs: https://docs.oracle.com/javase/8/docs/technotes/guides/collections/index.html

- GeeksforGeeks

- Java Brains YouTube

- Book: Effective Java by Joshua Bloch

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