Java data types are categorized into two main types: primitive and reference data types.
Primitive data types are basic types provided by Java for handling simple values. These include:
- byte: 8-bit integer (-128 to 127)
- short: 16-bit integer
- int: 32-bit integer
- long: 64-bit integer
- float: 32-bit floating-point number
- double: 64-bit floating-point number
- char: 16-bit Unicode character
- Boolean: Represents true or false values
Reference data types are used to reference objects and arrays. They include:
- Objects: Instances of classes
- Arrays: Collections of elements of the same type
Primitive data types are more memory-efficient and faster than reference types. They directly store values, while reference types store memory addresses pointing to data. Understanding data types is crucial for efficient programming and memory management in Java.