Understanding Set vs. List in Java

source : techdifferences.com

In Java, collections play a crucial role in storing and manipulating data. Two commonly used collection interfaces are Set and List. While both represent a group of elements, they have distinct characteristics and usage scenarios. In this article, we’ll delve into the differences between Set and List, explore their implementations, and provide comprehensive code examples to illustrate their usage.

Set in Java:

A Set is a collection that does not allow duplicate elements. It models the mathematical set abstraction and provides operations such as union, intersection, and difference. In Java, the Set interface is implemented by classes like HashSet, TreeSet, and LinkedHashSet.

HashSet Example:

import java.util.HashSet;
import java.util.Set;

public class Main {
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        Set<String> set = new HashSet<>();
        set.add("apple");
        set.add("banana");
        set.add("apple"); // Duplicate element, ignored
        
        System.out.println(set); // Output: [banana, apple]
    }
}

In this example, HashSet ensures that only unique elements are stored. The duplicate occurrence of “apple” is ignored.

TreeSet Example:

import java.util.Set;
import…