For Loop in Java: Its Types and Examples

for Loop in Java: An Overview

for loop in Java is one of the basic concepts of Java that you should definitely know. In the last Java Tutorial, you got a glimpse of Loops in Java and its different types, where you got a short overview of Java for loops. In this tutorial, you will get to learn about What is for loop in Java?, Different Types of for loops in Java with examples and much more in detail. To explore more about different concepts of Java, consider enrolling in our Java Certification Training right now!

Read More: Top 50 Java Interview Questions and Answers

What is for loop in Java?

Java for loop is a looping statement in Java. It allows the Java developers to repeat 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

Read More: Java Developer Salary Guide in India

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
}