What are alternatives to BufferedInputStream / BufferedReader and how do they compare?

In Java, when dealing with input streams and reading text data, alternatives to BufferedInputStream and BufferedReader exist that may better suit your needs depending on specific scenarios.

Alternatives to BufferedInputStream

• FileInputStream: Suitable for reading raw bytes, especially from files. However, it lacks buffering, which may cause performance issues for large files.
• ByteArrayInputStream: Efficient for reading byte arrays in memory, but not suitable for large-scale I/O operations.
• PipedInputStream: Useful for inter-thread communication, but generally less flexible than Buffered streams.

Alternatives to BufferedReader

• FileReader: A simple and straightforward choice for reading character files, but it also lacks buffering.
• InputStreamReader: Allows for reading bytes and decoding them into characters, but can be less efficient without buffering.
• Scanner: It can parse and read text from various sources, but may introduce overhead due to its parsing capabilities.

Comparison Overview

When considering alternatives, it's important to evaluate the trade-offs. While BufferedInputStream and BufferedReader provide efficient reading through buffering, alternatives may offer advantages like simplicity or specific use cases that do not require buffering.

// Example of using BufferedReader
try (BufferedReader reader = new BufferedReader(new FileReader("example.txt"))) {
    String line;
    while ((line = reader.readLine()) != null) {
        System.out.println(line);
    }
} catch (IOException e) {
    e.printStackTrace();
}