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Java Packages
Last Updated : 04 Feb, 2025
Packages in Java are a mechanism that encapsulates a group of classes,
sub-packages, and interfaces. Packages are used for:
Prevent naming conflicts by allowing classes with the same name to
exist in different packages, like college.staff.cse.Employee and
college.staff.ee.Employee.
They make it easier to organize, locate, and use classes, interfaces,
and other components.
Packages also provide controlled access for Protected members that
are accessible within the same package and by subclasses.
Also for default members (no access specifier) that are accessible
only within the same package.
By grouping related classes into packages, Java promotes data
encapsulation, making code reusable and easier to manage. Simply
import the desired class from a package to use it in your program.
Working of Java Packages
Directory Structure: Package names and directory structures are
closely related. For example, if a package name is college.staff.cse, then
three directories are, college, staff, and cse, where cse is inside staff,
and staff is inside the college.
Naming Conventions: Package names are written in reverse order of
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college.art.history
Example:
import java.util.*;
Here, util is a sub-package created inside the java package.
Accessing Classes Inside a Package
In Java, we can import classes from a package using either of the
following methods:
1. Import a specific class:
import java.util.Vector;
This imports only the Vector class from the java.util package.
2. Import all classes from a package:
import java.util.*;
This imports all classes and interfaces from the java.util package but
does not include sub-packages.
Example: Importing Class
// Import the Vector class from
// the java.util package
import java.util.Vector;
public class Geeks {
public Geeks() {
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// java.util.Vector is imported, hence we are
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// able to access it directly in our code.
Vector v = new Vector();
// java.util.ArrayList is not imported, hence
// we are referring to it using the complete
// package name.
java.util.ArrayList l = new java.util.ArrayList();
}
public static void main(String[] args) {
// Creating an instance of Geeks
// class to invoke the constructor
new Geeks();
}
}
Note:
Using import package.*; imports all classes in a package, but not
classes from its sub-packages.
When two packages have classes with the same name (e.g.,
java.util.Date and my.package.Date), use the fully qualified name to
avoid conflicts:
import java.util.Date;
import my.package.Date;
Types of Java Packages
Built-in Packages
User-defined Packages
1. Built-in Packages
These packages consist of a large number of classes which are a part of
Java API.Some of the commonly used built-in packages are:
java.lang: Contains language support classes(e.g classes which
defines primitive data types, math operations). This package is
automatically imported.
java.io: Contains classes for supporting input / output operations.
java.util:
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operations.
java.applet: Contains classes for creating Applets.
java.awt: Contain classes for implementing the components for
graphical user interfaces (like button , ;menus etc). 6)
java.net: Contain classes for supporting networking operations.
2. User-defined Packages
These are the packages that are defined by the user.
1. Create the Package:
First we create a directory myPackage (name should be same as the
name of the package). Then create the MyClass inside the directory
with the first statement being the package names.
// Name of the package must be same as the directory
// under which this file is saved
package myPackage;
public class MyClass
{
public void getNames(String s)
{
System.out.println(s);
}
}
2. Use the Class in Program:
Now we will use the MyClass class in our program.
// import 'MyClass' class from 'names' myPackage
import myPackage.MyClass;
public class Geeks {
public static void main(String args[]) {
// Initializing the String variable
// with a value
String s = "GeeksforGeeks";
// Creating an instance of class MyClass in
// the package.
MyClass o = new MyClass();
o.getNames(s);
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Note: MyClass.java must be saved inside the myPackage directory since
it is a part of the package.
Static Import In Java
Static Import in Java is about simplifying access to static members and
separates it from the broader discussion of user-defined packages.
Static import is a feature introduced in Java programming language
(versions 5 and above) that allows members (fields and methods)
defined in a class as public static to be used in Java code without
specifying the class in which the field is defined.
Example:
// Note static keyword after import.
import static java.lang.System.*;
class Geeks {
public static void main(String args[]) {
// We don't need to use 'System.out'
// as imported using static.
out.println("GeeksforGeeks");
}
}
Output
GeeksforGeeks
Handling Name Conflicts
When two packages contain a class with the same name (e.g.,
java.util.Date and java.sql.Date), specify the full package name to avoid
conflicts.
import java.util.*;
import java.sql.*;
//And then use Date class, then we will get a compile-time error :
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The compiler will not be able to figure out which Date class do we
want. This problem can be solved by using a specific import statement:
import java.util.Date;
import java.sql.*;
If we need both Date classes then, we need to use a full package name
every time we declare a new object of that class. For Example:
java.util.Date deadLine = new java.util.Date();
java.sql.Date today = new java.sql.Date();
Directory Structure and CLASSPATH
Package names correspond to a directory structure. For example, a class
Circle in package com.zzz.project1.subproject2 is stored as:
$BASE_DIR/com/zzz/project1/subproject2/Circle.class
Here $BASE_DIR represents the base directory of the package.
The “dot” in the package name corresponds to a sub-directory of the
file system.
The base directory ($BASE_DIR) could be located anywhere in the
file system.
Hence, the Java compiler and runtime must be informed about the
location of the $BASE_DIR so as to locate the classes.
It is is accomplished by an environment variable called CLASSPATH.
CLASSPATH is similar to another environment variable PATH, which
is used by the command shell to search for the executable programs.
Setting CLASSPATH
CLASSPATH can be set by any of the following ways:
CLASSPATH can be set permanently in the environment the steps In
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Go to Control Panel -> System -> Advanced -> Environment
Variables.
Select “System Variables” to apply the CLASSPATH for all users on
the system.
Select “User Variables” to apply it only for the currently logged-in
user.
Edit or Create CLASSPATH : If CLASSPATH already exists, select it
and click “Edit” or If it doesn’t exist, click “New”
Enter CLASSPATH Details: In the “Variable name” field, enter:
“CLASSPATH”, In the “Variable value” field, enter the directories
and JAR files separated by semicolons.
In the “Variable value” field, enter the directories and JAR files
separated by semicolons. Example:
.c:\javaproject\classes;d:\tomcat\lib\servlet-api.jar
The dot (.) represents the current working directory.
To check the current setting of the CLASSPATH, issue the following
command:
> SET CLASSPATH
CLASSPATH can be set temporarily for that particular CMD shell
session by issuing the following command:
> SET CLASSPATH=.;c:\javaproject\classes;d:\tomcat\lib\servlet-
api.jar
Instead of using the CLASSPATH environment variable, you can also
use the command-line option -classpath or -cp of the javac and java
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> java –classpath c:\javaproject\classes
com.abc.project1.subproject2.MyClass3
Illustration of user-defined packages: Creating our first package: File
name – ClassOne.java
package package_name;
public class ClassOne {
public void methodClassOne()
{
System.out.println("Hello there its ClassOne");
}
}
Creating our second package: File name – ClassTwo.java
package package_one;
public class ClassTwo {
public void methodClassTwo()
{
System.out.println("Hello there i am ClassTwo");
}
}
Making use of both the created packages: File name – Testing.java
import package_name.ClassOne;
import package_one.ClassTwo;
public class Testing {
public static void main(String[] args)
{
ClassTwo a = new ClassTwo();
ClassOne b = new ClassOne();
a.methodClassTwo();
b.methodClassOne();
}
}
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Access Modifiers in the Context of Packages
1. Public: Members with the public modifier are accessible from
anywhere, regardless of whether the accessing class is in the same
package or not.
2. Protected: Memebers with the protected modifier are accessible
within the same package, In subclasses
3. Default: Members with no modifier are accessible only within the
same package
4. Private: Members with the private modifier are accessible only
within the same class. They cannot be accessed by classes in the
same package, subclasses, or different packages.
Important points:
Every class is part of some package.
If no package is specified, the classes in the file goes into a special
unnamed package (the same unnamed package for all files).
All classes/interfaces in a file are part of the same package. Multiple
files can specify the same package name.
If package name is specified, the file must be in a subdirectory called
name (i.e., the directory name must match the package name).
We can access public classes in another (named) package using:
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