What is the Difference Between Timer and ScheduledExecutorService in Java? — IT Interview Guide

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Java provides several ways to schedule tasks for future execution, with two primary options being the Timer and the ScheduledExecutorService. Understanding their differences is crucial for choosing the right tool for specific scheduling tasks. In this article, we will delve into the differences between these two components, their use cases, and provide hands-on code examples for both.

Timer was introduced in the early versions of Java and provides a mechanism to schedule tasks that are executed after a fixed delay or at fixed-rate intervals. On the other hand, the ScheduledExecutorService, introduced in Java 5 as part of the java.util.concurrent package, is a more robust and flexible option, offering better error handling and concurrent task execution. While both can handle task scheduling, they differ in their underlying architecture, functionality, and how they handle various concurrency scenarios.

1. What is a Timer in Java?

The Timer class is part of the java.util package and allows you to schedule a task for execution after a delay or periodically at a fixed rate. It has been in Java for a long time, but is now considered somewhat outdated, especially when compared to the more modern ScheduledExecutorService. A…