Learning Java IO and NIO

The major differences between Java IO and NIO

What is Java IO?

Java IO stands for Input/Output and it is the API within Java that allows for the reading and writing of data.

It is a part of the java.io package.

What is Java NIO?

Java NIO (Non-blocking IO) was introduced from Java version 1.4.

 

The following table explores the differences between Java IO and NIO.

Java IO	Java NIO
It is stream oriented    Data is read as one or more byte at a time        The data is not cached       Cannot move back and forth in the data in a stream	It is buffer oriented    Data is first fed into a buffer and then processed    Can move back and forth through the data      Buffer should contain all the data before it is processed      Ensure that no data is overwritten when new data is read
Blocking IO -          When the read() or write() is invoked by a thread, it is blocked until the data is completely read or written	Non-blocking IO      The thread does not remain blocked, but when a request is made, it will return all the available data          Similarly, with writing, when a request is made, a thread can write, but move on to something else, while waiting for the writing to be competed
There are no selectors	There are selectors   A component with multiple NIO channels can be registered.         It uses a single thread to “select” which channel is ready for reading or writing      Allows a single thread to manage a no:of channels

(Jenkov, 2014) (JavaTPoint, n.d.)

 

References

JavaTPoint, n.d. Java IO vs. NIO. [Online]
Available at: https://www.javatpoint.com/java-nio-vs-input-output

Jenkov, J., 2014. Java NIO vs. IO. [Online]
Available at: http://tutorials.jenkov.com/java-nio/nio-vs-io.html