What are best practices for working with Stream API overview?

The Stream API in Java is a powerful feature that allows for functional-style operations on streams of elements. Here are some best practices for working with Stream API:

  • Use Streams When Processing Collections: Stream is an effective way to process collections and perform operations like filtering, mapping, and reducing.
  • Avoid Modifying Original Data: Streams should not modify the underlying data source they operate on. Instead, create new collections or results.
  • Keep Operations Short and Fluent: Use chaining to combine multiple operations, making the code more readable and concise.
  • Prefer Method References Over Lambda Expressions: When applicable, use method references to improve readability.
  • Limit the Use of Stateful Operations: Stateful operations (like sorted and distinct) can hinder performance, so use them judiciously.
  • Use Parallel Streams Carefully: While parallel streams can improve performance, they are not always the best choice, especially for small data sets.

Here is an example of using the Stream API to filter and collect names from a list:

List names = Arrays.asList("Alice", "Bob", "Charlie", "David", "Eve"); List filteredNames = names.stream() .filter(name -> name.startsWith("A")) .collect(Collectors.toList()); System.out.println(filteredNames); // Output: [Alice]

Java Stream API best practices functional programming collections