A static variable in Java is a variable that belongs to the class itself rather than to any specific instance of the class. When a variable is declared as static, there is only one copy of it for the entire class, rather than each instance having its own copy. Static variables are essentially global variables that are shared among all instances of the class. Some important points about static variables in Java include:
- Static variables can be created at the class level only.
- Static variables are initialized only once, at the start of the execution.
- Static variables are loaded at the time of class compilation.
- Memory allocation of static variables only happens once when the class is loaded in memory.
- If an object modifies the value of a static variable, the change is reflected across all objects.
Static variables in Java provide several advantages, including memory efficiency, global access, object independence, performance, and code organization. Static methods can also be used in Java, which means they can be called without creating an instance of the class.
