What is the difference between == and .equals() method in Java?

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The difference between == and .equals() method in Java:

In Java, the == operator is used to compare the references of two objects. It checks if two variables point to the same memory location. On the other hand, the .equals() method is used to compare the contents of two objects. It compares the actual values stored in the objects.

For example, when comparing two String objects, using == checks if they refer to the same memory address, while using .equals() compares the actual string values.

It is important to use .equals() method for content comparison in Java, especially for objects like Strings, to ensure accurate and reliable comparison results.

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