Java.Streams.What types of input/output streams are there?

🧠 Let’s walk through the types of input and output streams in Java — these are part of the traditional java.io package.

Java organizes streams into two main categories:

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✅ 1. Byte Streams (InputStream / OutputStream)

Used for binary data: images, audio, video, etc.

Input Stream Class	Description
InputStream (abstract)	Base class for byte input
FileInputStream	Reads bytes from a file
BufferedInputStream	Adds buffering for performance
ByteArrayInputStream	Reads bytes from a byte array
DataInputStream	Reads Java primitives (int, double, etc.)
ObjectInputStream	Reads serialized objects
PipedInputStream	Reads data written by another thread

Output Stream Class	Description
OutputStream (abstract)	Base class for byte output
FileOutputStream	Writes bytes to a file
BufferedOutputStream	Buffers output for performance
ByteArrayOutputStream	Writes to byte array in memory
DataOutputStream	Writes Java primitives
ObjectOutputStream	Writes serialized objects
PipedOutputStream	Connected to PipedInputStream

✅ 2. Character Streams (Reader / Writer)

Used for text data: characters, strings, etc.

Reader Class	Description
Reader (abstract)	Base class for character input
FileReader	Reads text from a file
BufferedReader	Reads text efficiently (line-by-line)
CharArrayReader	Reads from a char array
StringReader	Reads characters from a string
InputStreamReader	Bridges InputStream to Reader

Writer Class	Description
Writer (abstract)	Base class for character output
FileWriter	Writes text to a file
BufferedWriter	Buffers text output
CharArrayWriter	Writes to a char array
StringWriter	Writes to a string buffer
OutputStreamWriter	Bridges OutputStream to Writer

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🔧 Bridging Streams (Character ↔ Byte)

Bridge Class	Use Case
InputStreamReader	Converts InputStream to Reader (bytes → chars)
OutputStreamWriter	Converts Writer to OutputStream (chars → bytes)

🧠 Summary

Type	Base Classes	Data Type	Common Uses
Byte Stream	InputStream / OutputStream	Binary data	Files, images, raw sockets
Character Stream	Reader / Writer	Text (Unicode)	Text files, logs, configs