Difference Between Interface and Abstract class in Java with Examples

Both Interface and abstract class in Java can contain abstract methods. The use of abstract methods is to achieve abstraction in Java.

The differences between interface and abstract class in Java are explained in the table below:

Interface	Abstract class
The interface keyword is used to declare an interface.	The abstract keyword is used to declare an abstract class.
Interface can only have abstract methods. Since Java 8, interface can also contain default and static methods.	Abstract class can contain both abstract and non-abstract methods.
It supports multiple inheritance.	It doesn’t support multiple inheritance.
An Interface cannot have a constructor.	An Abstract class can have any number of constructors.
By default any methods declared in the interface are public abstract.	It can contain any type of method. There is no restriction on abstract class method modifiers. A method doesn’t have to be a public abstract. It can be private, protected, etc.
By default variables are public static final in the interface. Interface can only contain static final variables.	Abstract class can contain static, non-static, final and non-final variables.
A class can implement an interface by using the implements keyword.	A class can be extended from an abstract class by using the extends keyword.

Java Interface Example

Create the following Shape interface:

Shape.java


public interface Shape {
    //By default this variable is public static final
    String name = "Shape";

    //By default this method is public abstract
    void draw();

}

Lets create the following classes to implement the above Shape interface:

Circle.java


public class Circle implements Shape {

    @Override
    public void draw() {
        System.out.println("Drawing Circle");
    }

}

Square.java


public class Square implements Shape {

    @Override
    public void draw() {
        System.out.println("Drawing Square");
    }

}

Triangle.java


public class Triangle implements Shape {

    @Override
    public void draw() {
        System.out.println("Drawing Triangle");
    }

}

Example.java


public class Example {

    public static void main(String[] args) {
        //Calling Shape interface variable
        System.out.println(Shape.name);

        //Creating instances from implemented classes
        Shape circle = new Circle();
        Shape square = new Square();
        Shape triangle = new Triangle();

        //Calling methods
        circle.draw();
        square.draw();
        triangle.draw();

    }
}

Output:

Shape
Drawing Circle
Drawing Square
Drawing Triangle

Java Abstract Class Example

Lets create a Vehicle abstract class with abstract and non-abstract methods:

Vehicle.java


public abstract class Vehicle {

    // abstract method
    public abstract String getModelName();

    public abstract void start();

    public abstract void run();

    // Non-abstract method
    public void stop(Vehicle vehicle) {
        System.out.println("Stopping " + vehicle.getModelName());
    }

}

Lets create subclasses from the above Vehicle abstract class by using the extends keyword:

Toyota.java


public class Toyota extends Vehicle {

    @Override
    public String getModelName() {
        return "Toyota";
    }

    @Override
    public void start() {
        System.out.println("Start Toyota");
    }

    @Override
    public void run() {
        System.out.println("Run Toyota");
    }

}

Honda.java


public class Honda extends Vehicle {

    @Override
    public String getModelName() {
        return "Honda";
    }

    @Override
    public void start() {
        System.out.println("Start Honda");
    }

    @Override
    public void run() {
        System.out.println("Run Honda");
    }

}

Example.java


public class Example {

    public static void main(String[] args) {
        //Creating Vehicle instance of Toyota type
        Vehicle vehicle1 = new Toyota();
        vehicle1.start();
        vehicle1.run();
        vehicle1.stop(vehicle1);
                
        //Creating Vehicle instance of Honda type
        Vehicle vehicle2 = new Honda();
        vehicle2.start();
        vehicle2.run();
        vehicle2.stop(vehicle2);
    }
}

Output:

Start Toyota
Run Toyota
Stopping Toyota
Start Honda
Run Honda
Stopping Honda