A List in Java is an ordered collection that allows storing multiple elements, including duplicates. It is part of the Java Collections Framework and provides index-based access, meaning each element in the list has a specific position (starting from index 0).

• Automatically resizes when adding/removing elements.

import java.util.ArrayList;
public class ArrayListExample {
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        ArrayList names = new ArrayList<>();
        names.add("Alice");
        names.add("Bob");
        names.add("Charlie");
        
        System.out.println(names); // Output: [Alice, Bob, Charlie]
    }
}

2. LinkedList (Fast Inset/Delete, Slow Serching)

A LinkedList stores elements as nodes where each node contains a reference to the next and previous node. This makes insertion adn deletion faster compared to ArrayList.

Advantage

• Fast insetion/deletions

Disadvantages

• Slow searching

Example:

import java.util.LinkedList;
public class LinkedListExample {
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        LinkedList numbers = new LinkedList<>();
        numbers.add(10);
        numbers.add(20);
        numbers.addFirst(5); // Add element at the beginning
        
        System.out.println(numbers); // Output: [5, 10, 20]
    }
}

3. Vector (Thread-Safe, But Slower Than ArrayList)

A Vector is similar to an ArrayList but sunchronized, meaning it is thread-safe and can be used in multi-threaded environments. 

Advantage

• Thread-safe

Disadvantages

• Slower than ArrayList

Example:

import java.util.Vector;
public class VectorExample {
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        Vector cities = new Vector<>();
        cities.add("New York");
        cities.add("London");
        
        System.out.println(cities); // Output: [New York, London]
    }
}

ArrayList Vs. LinkedList Vs. Vector