Difference between Array and ArrayList

Last Updated on April 24, 2023 by Abhishek Sharma

In this article we’ll see the Array vs ArrayList. The data structures Array vs ArrayList are well-known in Java. While ArrayList is a class of the Java Collections framework, an array is a fundamental Java feature. It is a part of the java.util package.

Java Array

An object that is formed dynamically is an array. It functions as a holding area for a certain number of values of the same kind. It has an uninterrupted memory space. We are unable to alter an array’s size once it has been established. The next sentence may be used to create an array:

int array[]=new int[size];

An array of the requested size is created by the previous command. It produces an ArrayIndexOutOfBoundsException when we attempt to add more than its size. For instance

int arr[]=new int[3];   //specified size of the array is 3  
//adding 4 elements into array   
arr[0]=12;  
arr[1]=2;  
arr[2]=15;  
arr[3]=67;  

Java ArrayList Class

In Java, ArrayList is a class of Collections framework. It implements List, Collection, Iterable, Cloneable, Serializable, and RandomAccess interfaces. It extends AbstractList class.

We can create an instance of ArrayList by using the following statement:

ArrayList arrayList=new ArrayList();  

In Java, the array serves as the internal backing for ArrayList. The ArrayList’s resize action slows down speed since it creates a new array and copies data from an old array to the new array. It uses System.arraycopy(sec, srcPos, dest, destPos, length) which is a natively implemented function.
Primitive types cannot be stored in an array list. Thus, it only stores objects. Primitive types are automatically converted to objects. For instance, we created an object called an ArrayList.

ArrayList  list=new ArrayList();  //object of ArrayList  
arrayObj.add(12);   //trying to add integer primitive to the ArrayList  

Through automatic boxing, the JVM transforms it into an integer object.

ArrayList arrayObj=new ArrayList()//object of ArrayList  
arrayObj(new Integer(12)); /ArrayList object is inserted when the raw integer is converted to an integer object.

Similarities Between an Array and Arraylist

• Array vs ArrayList is used to store elements.
• Both Array vs ArrayList can contain null values.
• They may contain identical values.
• The arrangement of the components is not maintained.

Difference Between Array and ArrayList

The fundamental distinctions between Array vs ArrayList are shown in the following table:

Array example in Java:

In the example below, we have just constructed an array with a length of four.

class ArrayExample  
{  
    public static void main(String args[])  
    {  
        //creating an array of integer type   
        int arr[]=new int[4];  
        //adding elements into array   
        arr[0]=120;  
        arr[1]=20;  
        arr[2]=150;  
        arr[3]=670;  
        for(int i=0;i<arr.length;i++)  
        {  
            System.out.println(arr[i]);  
        }  
    }  
}

Output

120
20
150
670

ArrayList example in Java:

In the example that follows, we have created an instance of an ArrayList and iterated through it.

import java.util.*;  
class ArrayListExample  
{   
    public static void main(String args[])   
    {   
        //creating an instance of ArrayList  
        List<Float> list = new ArrayList<Float>();   
        //adding element to arraylist  
        list.add(12.4f);   
        list.add(34.6f);   
        list.add(56.8f);   
        list.add(78.9f);   
        //iteration over ArrayList using for-each loop  
        for(Float f:list)  
        {  
        System.out.println(f);   
        }  
    }   
}

Output

12.4
34.6
56.8
78.9

Conclusion
I Hope this article was able to give you a clear understanding of Array vs Arraylist and the differences between them.
Also, you can go through with these similar differences:

• Array vs linked list
• arraylist vs linkedlist
• Difference between arraylist and vector