Array or List in Java. Which is faster?

Question

I have to keep thousands of strings in memory to be accessed serially in Java. Should I store them in an array or should I use some kind of List ?

Since arrays keep

Answer 1

I don't think it makes a real difference for Strings. What is contiguous in an array of strings is the references to the strings, the strings themselves are stored at random places in memory.

Arrays vs. Lists can make a difference for primitive types, not for objects. IF you know in advance the number of elements, and don't need flexibility, an array of millions of integers or doubles will be more efficient in memory and marginally in speed than a list, because indeed they will be stored contiguously and accessed instantly. That's why Java still uses arrays of chars for strings, arrays of ints for image data, etc.