What is object cloning in Java?

What is Object Cloning in Java?

Object Cloning in Java is a process of creating an exact copy of an existing object. Instead of creating a new object manually and assigning values one by one, cloning allows you to duplicate an object easily.

Java provides cloning support using the Cloneable interface and the clone() method.

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🔹 Why Object Cloning is Used

• To create duplicate objects quickly
• Improves performance compared to manual copying
• Useful in real-time applications where object copies are frequently required
• Helps preserve original object data

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🔹 Steps to Perform Object Cloning

1. Implement the Cloneable interface.
2. Override the clone() method.
3. Call clone() using the original object.

🔹 Example

java id="j9mz3x"
class Student implements Cloneable {
    int id;
    String name;

    Student(int id, String name) {
        this.id = id;
        this.name = name;
    }

    public Object clone() throws CloneNotSupportedException {
        return super.clone();
    }
}

public class Test {
    public static void main(String[] args) throws Exception {
        Student s1 = new Student(101, "Rahul");
        Student s2 = (Student) s1.clone();

        System.out.println(s1.name);
        System.out.println(s2.name);
    }
}

🔹 Types of Cloning

1. Shallow Copy

• Copies object references.
• Changes in referenced objects affect both copies.

2. Deep Copy

• Creates a completely independent copy.
• Changes in one object do not affect the other.

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🔹 Important Points

• Cloneable is a marker interface (no methods).
• If not implemented, CloneNotSupportedException occurs.
• clone() method belongs to the Object class.
• Modern Java often prefers copy constructors or factory methods instead of cloning.

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