A Java record is a special kind of class for a fixed set of data components. Declare those components in the record header and Java supplies the corresponding fields, accessors, canonical constructor, and value-oriented implementations of equals, hashCode, and toString. Records became a permanent Java feature in Java SE 16, after previews in Java 14 and 15.
What is a record in Java?
A record is a class form designed for transparent data aggregates: types whose declared components describe their state. Oracle’s Java SE 25 record guide describes records as a way to model plain data aggregates with less ceremony than ordinary classes.
For example, a rectangle can be declared with its two dimensions in the record header:
record Rectangle(double length, double width) { }
This is still a class, not a struct with arbitrary fields. The header establishes the record’s component list and, in turn, its central state description and generated API.
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What does a Java record generate?
For each component, Java provides a private final field and a public accessor with the component’s name. It also provides a canonical constructor whose parameters correspond to the components, along with implementations of equals, hashCode, and toString.
new Rectangle(4.0, 2.0)invokes the canonical constructor.rectangle.length()andrectangle.width()are the generated accessors. They use the component names, not JavaBean-style names such asgetLength().- The default equality and hash code use the component values, for instances of the same record class.
- The default string representation includes component names and their representations.
These defaults are useful when the components are the intended state of the value. A record can explicitly implement generated methods when a deliberate alternative is necessary, but custom behavior should fit the type’s declared state model.
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How can a record validate or normalize its data?
Records can have constructors and methods; they are not limited to passive storage. A compact canonical constructor lets a record validate or normalize its parameters while Java handles assignment to the component fields:
record Person(String name, int age) {
Person {
if (age < 0) throw new IllegalArgumentException("age must be nonnegative");
}
}
var person = new Person("Ada", 36);
System.out.println(person.name());
The example illustrates a generated accessor and validation. Records can also declare instance methods, static members, and nested types, and can implement interfaces. The Java Language Specification’s record rules describes the language constraints in detail.
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When were records added to Java?
Records were previewed in Java SE 14 and Java SE 15, then finalized in Java SE 16. Code targeting Java 16 or later can use records without enabling a preview feature. Whether a particular project can compile and run such code depends on its selected source and runtime releases, not merely the developer’s installed JDK. Oracle summarizes the release change in its Java SE 16 language changes.
Are Java records immutable?
Records have final component fields, so those fields cannot be reassigned after construction. That is shallow finality, not a guarantee of deep immutability: a final field that holds a reference can still refer to a mutable object, and that object may change. For effectively immutable data, use immutable component types or take appropriate defensive measures.
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What are the important limits of records?
- No class inheritance: a record is implicitly final, has
java.lang.Recordas its direct superclass, and cannot extend a chosen domain class. It can implement interfaces. - The components define the state shape: records suit types where the component list is the authoritative description of state. Choose an ordinary class when the design needs a different state model or extensible class hierarchy.
- Accessor conventions may matter: generated accessors are named after components. A library expecting JavaBean
getX()methods or particular bean-introspection behavior may not treat a record as expected; check that library’s requirements. - Serialization has special rules: deserialization uses the canonical constructor. Record serialization does not support the usual custom
writeObject,readObject,readObjectNoData,writeExternal, orreadExternalhooks. See Oracle’s Java SE 16 record guide and the Java Language Specification changes for records before relying on custom serialization behavior.
When should you choose a record instead of a class?
| Use a record when… | Prefer an ordinary class when… |
|---|---|
| The declared components are the intended state description, and value-oriented equality and generated accessors fit the API. | The object needs a state model that is not naturally represented by a fixed component list, or its identity and equality need a different design. |
| Final component fields are appropriate, with immutable components or suitable handling for mutable referenced values. | The design needs reassignment of fields or a different state-management approach. |
| The type does not need to extend a domain superclass and consumers can use component-named accessors. | The type must extend a class or consumers require JavaBean accessor conventions. |
| Record-specific serialization rules work for the application. | The design depends on custom serialization hooks that records do not support. |
| The project’s target Java release supports finalized records (Java SE 16 or later). | The project must target an earlier Java release that does not support records as a finalized feature. |
A record reduces repeated declaration work without making every data-bearing type a record. The deciding question is whether a fixed component list accurately expresses the type’s state and whether the language’s inheritance, accessor, equality, and serialization rules fit its callers.
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