Welcome to the Java Shorts Series.

In this article, we will understand what is static block and why it executes before the main() method.

What is a static block in Java?

When we create a block with a static keyword, that is called a static block. It is used for the static initialization of a class. Code inside the static block is executed only once when the class loads.

class Test{
    static int i; // static variable

    //static block
    static{
        i=10;
        System.out.println("Static block executed");
    }
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        System.out.println(Test.i); 
        System.out.println("Main() executed"); 
    }
}

OUTPUT
Static block executed
10
Main() executed

Execution Process

We have created a static block where we initialize static variable 'i' to 10 and print a statement.

In the main(), we print 'i' and another statement.

When we compile the Test class (command - javac Test.java), the dot class file or the byte code is generated.

When we execute the dot class file( command - java Test), 3 events take place:-

1. JVM loads the dot class file into the memory.

2. During the process of dot class loading, the static block gets executed.

3. After the loading, JVM searches for the main() method, if the main() method is found it executes that or throw an error that the main() method is not found.

So, we can say that the static block executes before the main() method.

Important points about the static block

1. Till Java 1.6 version, we could execute a static block without the main() method but from the 1.7 version onwards we need the main() method to see the static block execution.
2. We cannot access instance members in a static block.
3. If there are multiple static blocks, execution will be done top to bottom in the order, the blocks are present in the code.
4. As a class loads only once, a static block is also executed once.

Conclusion

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Thanks for reading! Bye!