Native getClass() method from java.lang.Object Class Explained with examples.

In this article, we will take a deep look into the getClass() Java method.

1. Where is the getClass() method located?

The getClass() method is located in the java.lang package and in Object.java class.

2. Is getClass() a native method?

Yes, getClass() is a native method in java.lang.Object class.

3. What is the return type of getClass() method?

The return type is Class (java.lang.Class).

4. Is getClass() method final?

Yes.

5. Does getClass take any parameters?

No.

6. Does getClass throw any exceptions?

No.

7. Syntax of getClass() method

public final native Class<?> getClass();

The getClass() method can be noted as a native method with a final and public access modifier. The return type of this method is of the Class.

8. What is getClass() method used for?

The java.lang package's Object class defines 11 standard methods, one of which is the getClass() method.

getClass method returns the runtime class of an Object in Java.

9. Changes over Java Versions

Open JDK Version	getClass method implimentation
Java 8	No change in the method declaration since Java 1.0 to Java 8
Java 11	method annotated with @HotSpotIntrinsicCandidate
Java 17	method annotated with @IntrinsicCandidate

10. Usage of getClass method

To understand this method better, let us create an Employee class.

• To determine the runtime class of an object in Java
• To determine the type of an runtime object.
• Using java.lang.Class to make use of reflection.
• Used in load classes into the Java Virtual Machine

11. Examples

Example 1:

Employee.java

package org.example;

public class Employee {

    private int employeeId;
    private String employeeDateOfBirth;
    private String employeeName;
    private String employeeGender;
    private String employeeDepartment;

    public Employee(int empId, String empDateOfBirth, String empName, String empGender, String empDepartment) {
        this.employeeId = empId;
        this.employeeDateOfBirth = empDateOfBirth;
        this.employeeName = empName;
        this.employeeGender = empGender;
        this.employeeDepartment = empDepartment;
    }

    public int getEmployeeId() {
        return employeeId;
    }

    public void setEmployeeId(int employeeId) {
        this.employeeId = employeeId;
    }

    public String getEmployeeDateOfBirth() {
        return employeeDateOfBirth;
    }

    public void setEmployeeDateOfBirth(String employeeDateOfBirth) {
        this.employeeDateOfBirth = employeeDateOfBirth;
    }

    public String getEmployeeName() {
        return employeeName;
    }

    public void setEmployeeName(String employeeName) {
        this.employeeName = employeeName;
    }

    public String getEmployeeGender() {
        return employeeGender;
    }

    public void setEmployeeGender(String employeeGender) {
        this.employeeGender = employeeGender;
    }

    public String getEmployeeDepartment() {
        return employeeDepartment;
    }

    public void setEmployeeDepartment(String employeeDepartment) {
        this.employeeDepartment = employeeDepartment;
    }

    @Override
    public String toString() {
        return this.getClass() + " {" +
                "employeeId=" + employeeId +
                ", employeeDateOfBirth='" + employeeDateOfBirth + '\'' +
                ", employeeName='" + employeeName + '\'' +
                ", employeeGender='" + employeeGender + '\'' +
                ", employeeDepartment='" + employeeDepartment + '\'' +
                '}';
    }
}

As you may see in the toString() method I have used this.getClass() instead of hard-coding the class name.

EmpClient.java

package org.example;

public class EmpClient {

    public static void main(String[] args) {
        Employee employeeSam = new Employee(1,"1990-02-13","male","Sam","IT");
        System.out.println(employeeSam.toString());
    }
}

Output:

class org.example.Employee

{employeeId=1, employeeDateOfBirth='1990-02-13', employeeName='male', employeeGender='Sam', employeeDepartment='IT'}

As you can see the getClass() method will return the class name of the current runtime object

Note: The Class object returned is the object that is locked by the static synchronized methods of the represented class.




Example 2:

String name = "Sam";
System.out.println(name.getClass());

Output:

class java.lang.String




Example 3:

List list1 = new ArrayList();
list1.add("Sam");

System.out.println(list1.getClass());
System.out.println(list1.get(0).getClass());

Output:

class java.util.ArrayList
class java.lang.String




Example 4:

Object myObject = new Object();
System.out.println(myObject.getClass());

Output:

class java.lang.Object




Example 5:

Class whatClass = "Sam".getClass();
System.out.println(whatClass);

Output:

class java.lang.String




Example 6:

package org.example;

public class EnumExample {
    enum E { JAN,FEB,MAR,APR}
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        System.out.println(E.JAN.getClass());
    }
}

Output:

class org.example.EnumExample$E

12. getClass alternative for primitives

You will get comiplation error when you try to make use of getClass method with primitives.

Compilation Error:

int myInt = 20;
Class whatClass = myInt.getClass() //Compilation Error

Make use of the .class syntax to return the Class corresponding to primitives.

int myInt = 20;
Class myClass = int.class;
System.out.println(myClass);

Output:

int

13. Where is getClass used in Java core library

You do not need to look for the usage of getClass in any other class, you can find its usage with the Object class itself. Take a look at the toString() method implementation.

public String toString() {
        return getClass().getName() + "@" + Integer.toHexString(hashCode());
    }

14. Reflection example with getClass

    public static void main(String[] args) {

        Employee employee = new Employee(1,"1995-01-01","Mike","Male","Finance");
        Class empClass = employee.getClass();
        Method[] methods = empClass.getMethods();

        for(Method method: methods)
            System.out.println(method.getName());
    }

Output:

toString
getEmployeeId
setEmployeeId
getEmployeeDateOfBirth
setEmployeeDateOfBirth
getEmployeeName
setEmployeeName
getEmployeeGender
setEmployeeGender
getEmployeeDepartment
setEmployeeDepartment
wait
wait
wait
equals
hashCode
getClass
notify
notifyAll