Java glossary: Freelancer level
49 Java terms at the Freelancer level, each with a short definition and a link to its full page.
Updated
- ArrayList
- A resizable List backed by an array.
- Autoboxing
- The compiler's automatic conversion from a primitive value to its wrapper object.
- Binary Search - Java
- A Binary Search is a searching algorithm used to search a collection or array.
- Bounded Wildcard
- A wildcard restricted to types above or below a stated type in the hierarchy.
- Build Tool
- Software that automates compiling, testing, packaging, and dependency resolution.
- collect()
- A terminal stream operation that gathers results into a collection or other container.
- Collection Framework
- Java's standard interfaces and classes for storing and working with groups of objects.
- Comparable
- An interface a class implements to define its natural ordering.
- Comparator
- An object that defines an external ordering for values.
- Date-Time API
- The java.time types for working with dates, times, durations, and time zones.
- Debugger
- A tool for pausing a program and inspecting its execution state.
- Dependency
- External code that a project needs to compile or run.
- Deque
- A double-ended queue that adds and removes elements at either end.
- filter()
- A stream operation that keeps only elements passing a test.
- Functional Interface
- An interface with one abstract method that can be implemented by a lambda.
- Generics
- Type parameters that let classes and methods work safely with different reference types.
- Gradle
- A build automation tool configured with Groovy or Kotlin scripts.
- HashMap
- A hash-based Map with no guaranteed iteration order.
- HashSet
- A hash-based Set with no guaranteed iteration order.
- Intermediate Operation
- A lazy stream operation that transforms or filters values and returns another stream.
- Iterator
- An object that visits collection elements one at a time.
- JAR File
- A ZIP-based archive that packages Java classes and related resources.
- JUnit
- A popular Java framework for writing and running automated tests.
- Lambda Expression
- A compact function-like value that implements a functional interface.
- LinkedList
- A List and Deque whose elements are connected as a chain of nodes.
- List
- An ordered collection that allows duplicate elements and positional access.
- Logging
- Recording structured runtime events to help operate and diagnose software.
- Map
- A collection that associates unique keys with values.
- map()
- A stream operation that transforms each element into another value.
- Maven
- A build and dependency-management tool configured mainly with pom.xml.
- Method Reference
- A compact lambda form that points to an existing method with ::.
- Mock Object
- A controlled stand-in used to verify how code interacts with a dependency.
- Optional
- A container that explicitly represents either one non-null value or no value.
- Queue
- A collection designed to hold elements waiting to be processed.
- reduce()
- A stream operation that combines elements into one result.
- Regular Expression
- A text pattern used to find, validate, or replace matching characters.
- Set
- A collection that does not keep duplicate elements.
- Stream
- A pipeline for processing a sequence of values without storing the values itself.
- Stream Pipeline
- A stream source followed by intermediate operations and one terminal operation.
- Terminal Operation
- A stream operation that produces a result or side effect and ends the pipeline.
- Test Fixture
- The known objects and data prepared for a test.
- TreeMap
- A Map that keeps its keys sorted.
- TreeSet
- A sorted Set that keeps elements in their natural or supplied order.
- Type Erasure
- The compiler process that removes most generic type details from runtime bytecode.
- Type Parameter
- A placeholder type declared by a generic class, interface, or method.
- Unboxing
- The compiler's automatic conversion from a wrapper object to its primitive value.
- Unit Test
- A small automated check of one focused unit of behavior.
- Wildcard Type
- A ? type argument representing an unknown reference type.
- Wrapper Class
- An object type corresponding to a primitive, such as Integer for int.