Java Non-Primitive Data Types

Non-Primitive Data Types

Non-primitive data types are called reference types because they refer to objects.

The main differences between primitive and non-primitive data types are:

• Primitive types in Java are predefined and built into the language, while non-primitive types are created by the programmer (except for String).
• Non-primitive types can be used to call methods to perform certain operations, whereas primitive types cannot.
• Primitive types start with a lowercase letter (like int), while non-primitive types typically starts with an uppercase letter (like String).
• Primitive types always hold a value, whereas non-primitive types can be null.

Examples of non-primitive types are Strings, Arrays, Classes etc. You will learn more about these in a later article.