What is the purpose of the static keyword in Java?

The static keyword in Java is used to declare class-level members, which means they belong to the class itself rather than an instance of the class. Here are some key points regarding the static keyword:

  • Static variables: They are shared among all instances of a class and can be accessed using the class name. They are created and initialized only once when the class is loaded into the memory.
  • Static methods: They can be called without creating an instance of the class. They cannot access non-static members directly but can access other static members.
  • Static blocks: They are used to initialize the static variables or perform any other one-time operations when the class is loaded.