Chapter 4 Reference Types
Java variable types can be grouped into two broad categories: primitive types and reference types. Unlike primitive type variables which have memory locations holding data values, the memory for reference type variables hold references to objects that are stored elsewhere in memory. In other words, the data associated with a reference type variable is not the data that defines the object itself, but rather it is a kind of address that tells Java where to find the object stored elsewhere in memory.
Java provides several reference types, each with its own characteristic and purpose. These include: object reference types, array reference types, interface reference types, and others. Understanding these reference types is essential for effective Java programming and memory management.
In this chapter we will focus on object reference types. We will consider other Java reference types later as we introduce the related topics. Object reference types are used to reference instances of a particular class.
