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Java Generics — Free Java Tutorial

Learn Java Generics in Java with a free, beginner-friendly tutorial, examples and practice for Indian students on Syllab.in.

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TL;DR: Learn Java Generics in Java with a free, beginner-friendly tutorial, examples and practice for Indian students on Syllab.in.

Written & reviewed by the Syllab.in Academic Team (CBSE/NCERT subject experts) · Updated Jul 14, 2026

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Java Generics in Java

Generics allow you to write code that works with any type, specified at compile time. They provide type safety without casting: List<String> vs raw List.

Generic class: class Box<T> { T value; }. Generic method: <T> T getFirst(List<T> list). Use extends for bounds: <T extends Number> means T must be a Number or subclass.

Wildcards: List<?> accepts any type. List<? extends Number> accepts any Number subtype (read-only). List<? super Integer> accepts Integer or any parent (write-only).

Generics are erased at runtime (type erasure) — they exist only at compile time for type checking. At runtime, a List<String> is just a List.

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