Question

I want to create a hashmap of classes like (Object.class). I am wondering whether

Object.class is considered equal to another Object.class?

Can there be another instance of Object.class which leads it to have different hashcode?

Answer 1

The literal Object.class will always return the same reference within the same classloader.

From section 15.8.2 of the JLS:

A class literal evaluates to the Class object for the named type (or for void) as defined by the defining class loader of the class of the current instance.

Note the definite article (“the”) in the quote above – there’s only one Class object for any particular class, within the same class loader.

So yes, you’ll get the same hashcode – because you’ll have two references to the same object.