The Class class in Java, part of the java.lang package, represents classes and interfaces in a running Java application. Instances of this class are created automatically by the Java Virtual Machine (JVM) and are used extensively in the Reflection API. The Class class provides various methods to get information about the class or interface it represents, such as its name, superclass, interfaces, fields, and methods.

Commonly Used Methods

Here are some commonly used methods of the Class class:

• getName(): Returns the name of the class or interface represented by this Class object.

• getSimpleName(): Returns the simple name of the class or interface represented by this Class object.

• getSuperclass(): Returns the superclass of the class represented by this Class object.

• getInterfaces(): Returns an array of interfaces implemented by the class or interface represented by this Class object.

• getField(String name): Returns a Field object that represents the public field with the specified name in the class or interface represented by this Class object.

• getMethod(String name, Class<?>... parameterTypes): Returns a Method object that represents the public method with the specified name and parameter types in the class or interface represented by this Class object.

• newInstance(): Creates a new instance of the class represented by this Class object using its default constructor.

• isInstance(Object obj): Returns true if the specified object is an instance of the class or interface represented by this Class object, false otherwise.

• isAssignableFrom(Class<?> cls): Returns true if this Class object is assignable from the specified Class object, false otherwise.