Creating Threads

Java provides two main entry points for defining custom execution paths: inheriting from the Thread class or implementing the Runnable interface. Modern Java developers heavily favor the functional Runnable approach.

Runnable vs. Thread Class

Let's compare the two standard approaches:

Code Walkthrough

Here is a code walkthrough showing both thread creation techniques:

// Approach 1: Subclassing Thread
class CustomThread extends Thread {
    @Override
    public void run() {
        System.out.println("Running subclass thread: " + getName());
    }
}
// Approach 2: Implementing Runnable
class CustomRunnable implements Runnable {
    @Override
    public void run() {
        System.out.println("Running runnable thread: " + Thread.currentThread().getName());
    }
}
public class ThreadCreationDemo {
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        // Run Subclass
        CustomThread t1 = new CustomThread();
        t1.start();
// Run Runnable
        Thread t2 = new Thread(new CustomRunnable());
        t2.start();
// Run Lambda Runnable (Modern way)
        Thread t3 = new Thread(() -> System.out.println("Running Lambda: " + Thread.currentThread().getName()));
        t3.start();
    }
}

Interview-Relevant Information