The static keyword in Java is mainly used for memory management.
The static keyword in Java is
used to share the same variable or method of a given class. The users can apply static keywords with
variables, methods, blocks, and nested classes. The static keyword belongs to the class rather than an
instance of the class. The static keyword is used for a constant variable or a method that is the same
for every instance of a class.
The static keyword is a non-access modifier in Java that is applicable for the following:
1. Blocks
2. Variables
3. Methods
4. Classes
Note: To create a static member(block, variable, method, nested class), precede its declaration with
the keyword static.
Characteristics of static keyword:
Here are some characteristics of the static keyword in Java:
• Shared memory allocation: Static variables and methods are allocated memory space only
once during the execution of the program. This memory space is shared among all instances
of the class, which makes static members useful for maintaining global state or shared
functionality.
• Accessible without object instantiation: Static members can be accessed without the need
to create an instance of the class. This makes them useful for providing utility functions and
constants that can be used across the entire program.
• Associated with class, not objects: Static members are associated with the class, not with
individual objects. This means that changes to a static member are reflected in all instances
of the class, and that you can access static members using the class name rather than an
object reference.
• Cannot access non-static members: Static methods and variables cannot access non-static
members of a class, as they are not associated with any particular instance of the class.
• Can be overloaded, but not overridden: Static methods can be overloaded, which means
that you can define multiple methods with the same name but different parameters.
However, they cannot be overridden, as they are associated with the class rather than with a
particular instance of the class.
When a member is declared static, it can be accessed before any objects of its class are created, and
without reference to any object. For example, in the below java program, we are accessing static
method m1() without creating any object of the Test class.
// Java program to demonstrate that a static member
// can be accessed before instantiating a class
class Test
{
// static method
static void m1()
System.out.println("from m1");
public static void main(String[] args)
// calling m1 without creating
// any object of class Test
m1();
}
Output
from m1
Static blocks
If you need to do the computation in order to initialize your static variables, you can declare a static
block that gets executed exactly once, when the class is first loaded.
Consider the following java program demonstrating the use of static blocks.
// Java program to demonstrate use of static blocks
class Test
// static variable
static int a = 10;
static int b;
// static block
static {
System.out.println("Static block initialized.");
b = a * 4;
public static void main(String[] args)
System.out.println("from main");
System.out.println("Value of a : "+a);
System.out.println("Value of b : "+b);
}
Output
Static block initialized.
from main
Value of a : 10
Value of b : 40
Static variables
When a variable is declared as static, then a single copy of the variable is created and shared among
all objects at the class level. Static variables are, essentially, global variables. All instances of the class
share the same static variable.
Important points for static variables:
• We can create static variables at the class level only. See here
• static block and static variables are executed in the order they are present in a program.
Below is the Java program to demonstrate that static block and static variables are executed in the
order they are present in a program.
// Java program to demonstrate execution
// of static blocks and variables
class Test
// static variable
static int a = m1();
// static block
static {
System.out.println("Inside static block");
// static method
static int m1() {
System.out.println("from m1");
return 20;
// static method(main !!)
public static void main(String[] args)
System.out.println("Value of a : "+a);
System.out.println("from main");
}
Output
from m1
Inside static block
Value of a : 20
from main
Static methods
When a method is declared with the static keyword, it is known as the static method. The most
common example of a static method is the main( ) method. As discussed above, Any static member
can be accessed before any objects of its class are created, and without reference to any object.
Methods declared as static have several restrictions:
• They can only directly call other static methods.
• They can only directly access static data.
• They cannot refer to this or super in any way.
Below is the java program to demonstrate restrictions on static methods.
// Java program to demonstrate restriction on static methods
class Test
// static variable
static int a = 10;
// instance variable
int b = 20;
// static method
static void m1()
a = 20;
System.out.println("from m1");
// Cannot make a static reference to the non-static field b
b = 10; // compilation error
// Cannot make a static reference to the
// non-static method m2() from the type Test
m2(); // compilation error
// Cannot use super in a static context
System.out.println(super.a); // compiler error
// instance method
void m2()
System.out.println("from m2");
}
public static void main(String[] args)
// main method
Output:
prog.java:18: error: non-static variable b cannot be referenced from a static context
b = 10; // compilation error
^
prog.java:22: error: non-static method m2() cannot be referenced from a static context
m2(); // compilation error
^
prog.java:25: error: non-static variable super cannot be referenced from a static context
System.out.println(super.a); // compiler error
^
prog.java:25: error: cannot find symbol
System.out.println(super.a); // compiler error
^
symbol: variable a
4 errors
When to use static variables and methods?
Use the static variable for the property that is common to all objects. For example, in class Student,
all students share the same college name. Use static methods for changing static variables.
Consider the following java program, that illustrates the use of static keywords with variables and
methods.
// A java program to demonstrate use of
// static keyword with methods and variables
// Student class
class Student {
String name;
int rollNo;
// static variable
static String cllgName;
// static counter to set unique roll no
static int counter = 0;
public Student(String name)
this.name = name;
this.rollNo = setRollNo();
// getting unique rollNo
// through static variable(counter)
static int setRollNo()
counter++;
return counter;
// static method
static void setCllg(String name) { cllgName = name; }
// instance method
void getStudentInfo()
System.out.println("name : " + this.name);
System.out.println("rollNo : " + this.rollNo);
// accessing static variable
System.out.println("cllgName : " + cllgName);
// Driver class
public class StaticDemo {
public static void main(String[] args)
// calling static method
// without instantiating Student class
Student.setCllg("XYZ");
Student s1 = new Student("Alice");
Student s2 = new Student("Bob");
s1.getStudentInfo();
s2.getStudentInfo();
}
Output
name : Alice
rollNo : 1
cllgName : XYZ
name : Bob
rollNo : 2
cllgName : XYZ
Static Classes
A class can be made static only if it is a nested class. We cannot declare a top-level class with a static
modifier but can declare nested classes as static. Such types of classes are called Nested static
classes. Nested static class doesn’t need a reference of Outer class. In this case, a static class cannot
access non-static members of the Outer class.
Note: For static nested class, see a static nested class in java
Implementation:
// A java program to demonstrate use
// of static keyword with Classes
import java.io.*;
public class GFG {
private static String str = "GeeksforGeeks";
// Static class
static class MyNestedClass {
// non-static method
public void disp(){
System.out.println(str);
}
public static void main(String args[])
GFG.MyNestedClass obj
= new GFG.MyNestedClass();
obj.disp();
Output
GeeksforGeeks
Here’s an example Java program that demonstrates the use of the static keyword:
public class ExampleClass {
public static int count = 0;
public int id;
public ExampleClass() {
count++;
id = count;
public static void printCount() {
System.out.println("Number of instances: " + count);
public void printId() {
System.out.println("Instance ID: " + id);
public static void main(String[] args) {
ExampleClass e1 = new ExampleClass();
ExampleClass e2 = new ExampleClass();
ExampleClass e3 = new ExampleClass();
e1.printId();
e2.printId();
e3.printId();
ExampleClass.printCount();
Output
Instance ID: 1
Instance ID: 2
Instance ID: 3
Number of instances: 3
Advantages:
• Memory efficiency: Static members are allocated memory only once during the execution of
the program, which can result in significant memory savings for large programs.
• Improved performance: Because static members are associated with the class rather than
with individual instances, they can be accessed more quickly and efficiently than non-static
members.
• Global accessibility: Static members can be accessed from anywhere in the program,
regardless of whether an instance of the class has been created.
• Encapsulation of utility methods: Static methods can be used to encapsulate utility functions
that don’t require any state information from an object. This can improve code organization
and make it easier to reuse utility functions across multiple classes.
• Constants: Static final variables can be used to define constants that are shared across the
entire program.
• Class-level functionality: Static methods can be used to define class-level functionality that
doesn’t require any state information from an object, such as factory methods or helper
functions.
Overall, the static keyword is a powerful tool that can help to improve the efficiency and organization
of your Java programs.
