for Loop in Java: Its Types and Examples

for Loop in Java

The for loop in Java provides a functionality. It is nothing but a repetition control structure that allows us to efficiently write a loop that needs to be executed a specific number of times. It contains the initialization, condition, and updating statements as part of its syntax.

In the last Java Tutorial, you got a glimpse of Loops in Java and its different types. You got a short overview of Java for loop. In this tutorial, you will get to learn about the for loop in Java in detail. To explore more about different concepts of Java, consider enrolling in our Java Full Stack Developer Course right now!

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What is a for loop in Java?

Java for loop is a looping statement in Java. It allows the Java developers to repeat the execution of a block of code for a specified number of times.

Flowchart of for loop in Java

Syntax of for loop in Java

for (initialization; condition; update) {
    // code to be executed
}

Explanation:

• Initialization is used for initializing the variable of the loop.
• Condition is used for the evaluation of the variable to check if it is 'True' and continues further. If it is evaluated to be 'False', the loop terminates.
• Update is used for modifying the variable after each iteration is completed.

Example of for loop in Java in Java Compiler:

for (int i = 1; i <= 5; i++) {
    System.out.println(i);
}

Explanation:

• We have initialized the loop variable 'i' to'1'.
• Then, we check if i is less than or equal to 5. If the condition is 'True', the loop will continue. If it turns out to be 'False', the loop will terminate.
• With 'i++', there will be an increment of 1 in 'i' after each iteration.

Output

1
2
3
4
5

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Types of for Loops in Java

1. Simple for Loop in Java

Example of simple for loop:

for (int i = 1; i <= 5; i++) {
    System.out.println("Number: " + i);
}

Output

Number: 1
Number: 2
Number: 3
Number: 4
Number: 5

2. for-each Loop in Java

Example of for-each loop:

int[] numbers = {1, 2, 3, 4, 5};

for (int num : numbers) {
    System.out.println("Number: " + num);
}

Output

Number: 1
Number: 2
Number: 3
Number: 4
Number: 5

3. Labeled for Loop in Java

Example of labeled for loop:

outerLoop:
for (int i = 1; i <= 3; i++) {
    for (int j = 1; j <= 3; j++) {
        if (i == 2 && j == 2) {
            break outerLoop;
        }
        System.out.println("i: " + i + ", j: " + j);
    }
}

Output

i: 1, j: 1
i: 1, j: 2

4. Nested for Loop in Java

Example of nested for loop:

for (int i = 1; i <= 3; i++) {
    for (int j = 1; j <= 2; j++) {
        System.out.println("i: " + i + ", j: " + j);
    }
}

Output

i: 1, j: 1
i: 1, j: 2
i: 2, j: 1
i: 2, j: 2
i: 3, j: 1
i: 3, j: 2

5. Infinite for Loop in Java

Example of infinite for loop:

for (;;) {
    System.out.println("This is an infinite loop");
}

Output

This is an infinite loop
This is an infinite loop
This is an infinite loop
This is an infinite loop...

Difference Between for, while Loop and do...while Loop in Java

Summary

for (initialization; condition; update) {
    // code to be executed
}

for (initialization; condition; update) {
    // code to be executed
}

while (condition) {
    // code to be executed
}