Reflection is one of Java’s most powerful and advanced features. It allows us to inspect and manipulate classes, methods, and fields during runtime, bypassing some of the strict access controls that Java typically enforces. Simply put, reflection enables us to dynamically examine or modify the structure and behavior of objects at runtime.
Key Concepts of Reflection
Class Inspection: With reflection, we can inspect the properties of a class such as its fields, methods, constructors, and annotations even if they are private.
Modifying Behavior: Reflection can invoke methods or access fields (including private ones) dynamically at runtime.
Creating Objects Dynamically: Reflection allows creating instances of a class during runtime, which can be particularly useful in frameworks or libraries.
How Does Reflection Work in Java?
Reflection is made possible by the java.lang.reflect package, which provides classes like Class, Method, Field, and Constructor to inspect and modify objects at runtime.
Here’s an example that will give you a basic understanding of how to use reflection in Java:
