Java 8 vs guava: What are the differences?

Java 8 and Guava are two popular libraries in the Java ecosystem, each offering unique features and functionalities for developers. It's essential to understand the key differences between Java 8 and Guava to make an informed decision on which library to use for a particular project.

1. Functional Programming Support: Java 8 introduced functional programming support through the addition of lambda expressions, streams, and the Optional class. Guava, on the other hand, provides a more limited set of functional programming features compared to Java 8.

2. Collection Utilities: Guava offers a rich set of utility classes for working with collections, such as the Immutable collections, Multimaps, and BiMap. Java 8 also provides enhanced features for working with collections, but the functionality offered by Guava is more comprehensive and specialized.

3. Null Handling: Guava provides utilities like Preconditions and Optional to handle null values more effectively. While Java 8 introduced the Optional class to address null pointer exceptions, Guava's null handling utilities are more robust and feature-rich.

4. Concurrency Support: Guava includes a wide range of concurrency utilities, such as ListenableFuture and RateLimiter, making it easier for developers to work with multi-threaded applications. Java 8, while offering CompletableFuture for asynchronous programming, lacks the breadth of concurrency utilities provided by Guava.

5. Functional Interfaces: Java 8 introduced functional interfaces like Function, Consumer, and Predicate to enable functional programming paradigms. Guava also offers similar functional interfaces, but the naming conventions and implementations may vary slightly from those in Java 8.

6. Compatibility and Dependencies: Java 8 is part of the standard Java Development Kit (JDK), making it readily available for all Java developers. Guava, on the other hand, requires an additional dependency to be included in the project, which may affect the size and complexity of the project.

In Summary, understanding the key differences between Java 8 and Guava, such as functional programming support, collection utilities, null handling, concurrency support, functional interfaces, and compatibility, is crucial for selecting the right library for a Java project.