Question

What is difference between in the following statements

String name = "Tiger";

final String name ="Tiger";

Although the String class is final class, why do we need to create a String “CONSTANT” variable as final?

Answer 1

final in this context means that the variable name can only be assigned once. Assigning a different String object to it again results in a compile error.

I think the source of the confusion here is that the final keyword can be used in several different contexts:

• final class: The class cannot be subclassed.
• final method: The method cannot be overridden.
• final variable: The variable can only be assigned once.

See the Wikipedia article on final in Java for examples on each case.