Static Keyword in Java

 

What is a Static Keyword in Java?

There are tons of reserved keywords in Java that cannot be used as names of variables or identifiers. One such frequently used keyword in Java is the “Static” keyword. The most important reason why static keywords are heavily used in Java is to efficiently manage memory. Generally, if you want to access variables or methods inside a class, you first need to create an instance or object of that class. However, there might be situations where you want to access only a couple of methods or variables of a class and you don’t want to create a new instance for that class just for accessing these members. This is where you can use the static keyword in Java.

In Java, it is possible to use the static keyword with methods, blocks, variables, as well as nested classes. In simple words, if you use a static keyword with a variable or a method inside a class, then for every instance that you create for that class, these static members remain constant and you can’t change or modify them. In fact, you can access these members even without creating an instance of an object for those classes. You can access them simply using the class name. In fact, the main method of a class in Java usually has a static keyword associated with it. But, yes, it depends on the choice of the developer.