The static keyword means the member belongs to the class, not to individual objects.

Only one copy of a static member exists and is shared by all objects of the class.

Static Variable

class Student {
    String name;
    static String college = "ABC College";
}

Every object has its own name, but all objects share college.

Static Method

A static method can be called without creating an object.

class MathUtils {
    static int add(int a, int b) {
        return a + b;
    }
}

MathUtils.add(10, 20);

Why main Is Static

When a Java program starts, no objects exist yet. main is static so the JVM can call it without first creating an object.

Static Block

A static block runs once when the class is loaded.

class AppConfig {
    static {
        System.out.println("Class loaded");
    }
}

Static vs Instance

Rules

• Static methods can directly access static members.
• Static methods cannot directly access instance members.
• Instance methods can access static members.
• Constructors cannot be static.

Interview Notes

• Static belongs to the class.
• Static variables are shared.
• Static methods do not need an object.
• Prefer ClassName.member for static access.