Difference between extends and implements keywords in Java

Though both extends and implements keyword in Java is used to implement Inheritance concept of
Object-Oriented programming, there is a subtle difference between them. The extends keyword is
mainly used to extend a class i.e. to create a subclass in Java, while implements keyword is used to
implement an interface in Java. The extends keyword can also be used by an interface for extending
another interface. In order to better understand the difference between extends and implements, you
also need to learn and understand the difference between class and interface in Java. Though both are
an integral part of application development using object oriented methodology, an interface is more
abstract than class hence it is used to define API or contract.

Difference between class and interface in Java

It is one of the frequently asked Java questions from beginners which struggles to get the concept
behind an interface. The main difference between a class and an interface lies in their usage and
capabilities. An interface is the purest form of abstraction available in Java where you just define the API
or contract e.g. you define run() method on the Runnable interface without worrying about how
something will run, that is left to the implementor which will use a class to define how exactly to run. So
an interface gives you method name but how the behavior of that method is come from the class which
implements it. That's your general difference between an interface and class in Java and applicable to all
object oriented programming language, not just Java. Even though this question is not exactly the
difference between abstract class and interface, it's somewhat related to it because an abstract class is
nothing but a class with some abstract method. The points I have discussed there, also applicable here
in terms of rules of Java programming related to class and interface.

Now, let's examine both syntactical and functional difference between a class and interface in Java point
by point, this will give you a better idea of both of them.

1) Purpose

The interface is best suited for defining type because it promotes multiple inheritances in Java. It is even
recommended by Joshua Bloch in Effective Java. Since an interface can extend multiple interfaces and a
class can implement multiple interfaces, it suddenly becomes more polymorphic. On the other hand, a
class is best suited for writing concrete code which does the actual job.
2) Instantiation

Since an interface is completely abstract you cannot create an object of them but a class can be both
abstract and concrete hence you can create an object of a concrete class in Java.

For example

Runnable r = new Runnable(); // compiler error

but

Runnable r = new Task();; // Ok

where Task is a class which implements Runnable interface.

3) State

An interface can define constants but that is not part of the state of an object, which is only defined by
the instance variable. You cannot define state variable inside interface in Java until JDK 7 but that is
changed now in Java SE 8, where you can define both static and default methods inside interface. (see
Java SE 8 for Really Impatient by Cay S. Horstmann to learn more about static and default methods)

4) Inheritance

A class can only inherit one class but an interface can extend multiple interfaces. Similarly, a class can
implement multiple interfaces but an interface cannot extend a class. This might seem confusing to you
but Java allow multiple inheritance in form of one interface extending multiple interface but doesn't
allow C++ style multiple inheritance where a class can extend multiple classes.
5) Flexibility

Interface adds flexibility in coding. Any code which is written using interface are more adaptable to a
change than code written using concrete classes. This is also a popular object oriented design principle,
commonly known as "programming for interfaces than implementation". You can see my post 10 object
oriented design principles which every Java developer should know to learn more about that.

6) UML Diagram

In UML diagram an interface is represented using keyword <<interface>> while class doesn't need
anyword. Any class which impelments interface is also denoted via dotted line with arrowhead as shown
in following diagram. In this diagram you have a class called Circle which implements an interface called
GeometricObject. There is another class called ResizableCircle which extends Circle class and implement
another interface called Resizable. If you are not very familiar with UML than you should read UML for
Java Programmers by Uncle Bob to learn more about UML in Java)

When to use a class and interface in Java?

This is the most important question you should ask, this is even more important than the difference
between class and interface but both are related to each other. If a candidate understands the class and
interface concept correctly he can answer both of these questions. If you are writing a trading
application, you can define an Instrument interface and all type of instrument e.g. Stock, Future, Option
will be the classes which implement Instruments. Any code, which needs an Instrument e.g. Order need
an Instrument then you can code with Instrument and it will work for any Instrument including Stock,
Future, and Options as shown below:

public class ClassVsInterface {

public static void main(String[] args) {

Instrument[] instruments = new Instrument[3];

instruments[0] = new Stock();

instruments[1] = new Future();

instruments[2] = new Option();

for (Instrument i : instruments) {

print(i);

public static void print(Instrument instrument) {

System.out.println(instrument.getAssetClass());

}
interface Instrument {

public String getAssetClass();

class Stock implements Instrument {

@Override

public String getAssetClass() {

return "STOCK";

class Future implements Instrument {

@Override

public String getAssetClass() {

return "FUTURES";

class Option implements Instrument {

@Override

public String getAssetClass() {

 return "OPTION";

You can see that since we have defined Instrument as interface the print() method can work with Stock,
Future, and Option, that's the power of Inheritance and Polymorphism which comes by using interface.

That's all about the difference between a class and interface in Java. The most important difference is to
understand when to use a class and interface. As I have previously explained on actual use of interface
in Java, it let you write polymorphic code which adds flexibility to your software. This is also known as
"programming for interfaces" in the object-oriented world.