[Java](EN) Difference between get(0) and findFirst() in Java List


Environment and Prerequisite

  • Java


Difference

get(0) in List

  • Return the first element
  • Throw IndexOutOfBoundsException when first element is empty
List<String> myList = Arrays.asList("1", "2", "3");
String firstElement = myList.get(0);

findFirst() in Stream

  • Return the first element that meets the given condition and if there is no element satisfying that condition then return Optional.empty()
  • Available after Java 8
List<String> myList = Arrays.asList("1", "2", "3");

Optional<String> firstElementOptional = myList.stream().findFirst();
if (firstElementOptional.isPresent()) {
    String firstElement = firstElementOptional.get();
}


Keep in Mind

  • In data structures like List, let’s make code to handle exceptions such as IndexOutOfBoundsException or NullPointerException when accessing the first or other elements.


Reference