Differences between an array and any collection from the java Collection framework?

Question

As the title say I am looking into the \"Differences between an array and any collection from the java Collection framework\".

Thought it\'s high level enough to provide

Answer 1

They are virtually unreleated, except to say they both store a group of values.

From a capability perspective, while both can store references to objects:

• Arrays can store primitives
• Collections can not store primitives (although they can store the primitive wrapper classes, such as Integer etc)

One important difference, commonly not understood by programmers new to java, is one of usability and convenience, especially given that Collections automatically expand in size when needed:

• Arrays - Avoid using them unless you have to
• Collections - Use them in preference to arrays

Arrays are ultimately the only way of storing a group of primitives/references in one object, but they are the most basic option. Although arrays may give you some speed advantages, unless you need super-fast code, Collections are preferred because they have so much convenience.