Does static class contain only static method in java?

java class methods static protected
user710818 picture user710818 · Sep 11, 2012 · Viewed 11.7k times · Source

I have found code in which static class contains methods that are not declared static. Compiler doesn't display any warning. It seems confusing, doesn't it?

Answer

Nandkumar Tekale picture Nandkumar Tekale · Sep 11, 2012

There is no concept of static class in java (not even static inner class). If you see class is static and it is in working condition then it must be inner class(also called as nested class) which is declared as static. And there is no restriction to have only static methods in static inner classes.

The significance of declaring an inner class static is to be able to create instances of the nested class independent of the class in which it is nested. If static is not mentioned then every instance of the nested class will be associated with an instance of the class in which it is nested.

This question has more details. Java inner class and static nested class

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