‬

‭📖 What is a HashMap?‬
HashMap‬‭is a Java class that implements the‬‭
‭ ‬‭
A Map‬‭interface and allows you to store data as‬
‭key-value pairs‬‭. It provides‬‭fast access‬‭to elements‬‭using hashing.‬

‭Key Characteristics‬

‭‬
● 🗝️
‭ ‬‭Key‬‭: Unique identifier for a value.‬
‭●‬ 📦
‭ ‬‭Value‬‭: Data associated with the key.‬
‭●‬ ✅
‭ ‬‭Allows nulls‬‭: One‬‭ null‬‭key and multiple‬‭
null‬‭values.‬
‭●‬ 🔀
‭ ‬‭Unordered‬‭: Does not maintain insertion order.‬
‭●‬ ⚡ put()‬‭and‬‭
‭ ‬‭Efficient‬‭: O(1) time complexity (average case) for‬‭ get()‬‭operations.‬
‭●‬ ‭🔒‬‭Not thread-safe‬‭: Use‬‭
ConcurrentHashMap‬‭for multithreaded‬‭environments.‬

‭🌟 Features of HashMap‬
‭ .‬
1 ‭ ashing‬‭: Keys are hashed into bucket indices for fast‬‭lookup.‬
H
‭2.‬ ‭Collision Handling‬‭: Uses linked lists or balanced‬‭trees for collisions.‬
‭3.‬ ‭Resizing‬‭: Automatically resizes when the load factor‬‭is exceeded.‬
‭4.‬ ‭Customizable Capacity and Load Factor‬‭: You can configure‬‭them for performance‬
‭optimization.‬

‭🛠️ How HashMap Works Internally‬

‭1. Hashing‬

hashCode()‬‭determines the bucket index using:‬

‭ he‬‭key's‬‭
T
‭index = (hashCode & (capacity - 1))‬
 ‭●‬

‭2. Buckets‬

‭‬ T
● ‭ he hash table is an array of buckets.‬
‭●‬ ‭Each bucket can store multiple entries if collisions occur.‬

‭3. Collision Handling‬

‭‬ B
● ‭ efore Java 8‬‭: Linked lists are used within buckets.‬
‭●‬ ‭Java 8 and later‬‭: Converts linked lists to balanced‬‭trees for faster lookups if a bucket‬
‭has more than 8 entries.‬

‭4. Resizing‬

‭●‬ W HashMap‬
‭ hen the number of elements exceeds the threshold (capacity × load factor),‬‭
‭resizes:‬
‭1.‬ ‭Doubles the array size.‬
‭2.‬ ‭Rehashes all existing entries into the new table.‬

‭🌟‬‭Visualizing HashMap's Internal Structure‬

‭Diagram Explanation‬

put()‬
‭●‬ ‭HashMap‬‭: Manages the hash table and provides APIs‬‭like‬‭ get()‬
‭,‬‭ ‭, and‬
‭emove()‬
r ‭.‬
‭●‬ ‭Hash Table‬‭: The underlying array of buckets where‬‭data is stored.‬
‭ ‬ ‭Bucket‬‭: Each bucket contains a linked list or balanced‬‭tree (depending on Java version‬
●
‭and collision frequency).‬
‭●‬ ‭Entry‬‭: Represents each key-value pair in the‬‭HashMap‬ ‭,‬‭with a pointer to the next entry‬
‭in case of collisions.‬

‭🛠️ Commonly Used Methods in HashMap‬

‭✍️ Examples‬
‭Example 1: Basic Usage‬

‭import java.util.HashMap;‬

‭public class Main {‬

‭public static void main(String[] args) {‬

‭HashMap<String, String> map = new HashMap<>();‬

‭map.put("Alice", "123-456");‬
 ‭map.put("Bob", "987-654");‬

‭System.out.println(map.get("Alice")); // Output: 123-456‬

‭}‬

‭}‬

‭Example 2: Word Counter‬

‭Count occurrences of words in a string:‬

‭String text = "Java is fun and Java is powerful";‬

‭HashMap<String, Integer> wordCount = new HashMap<>();‬

‭for (String word : text.split(" ")) {‬

‭wordCount.put(word, wordCount.getOrDefault(word, 0) + 1);‬

‭}‬

‭System.out.println(wordCount); // Output: {Java=2, is=2, fun=1, and=1, powerful=1}‬

‭🔄 Iteration Methods‬
‭1. Key Set Iteration‬

‭for (String key : map.keySet()) {‬

‭System.out.println(key + ": " + map.get(key));‬

‭}‬

‭2. Entry Set Iteration (Preferred)‬

‭for (Map.Entry<String, String> entry : map.entrySet()) {‬

‭System.out.println(entry.getKey() + ": " + entry.getValue());‬

‭}‬

‭3. Java 8 forEach‬

‭map.forEach((key, value) -> System.out.println(key + ": " + value));‬

‭🔒 Thread Safety in HashMap‬

HashMap‬‭is‬‭not thread-safe‬‭. For multithreading, use:‬
‭

‭Synchronized HashMap‬‭:‬

‭Map<String, String> synchronizedMap = Collections.synchronizedMap(new HashMap<>());‬

‭ .‬
1
‭2.‬ ‭ConcurrentHashMap‬‭:‬

‭‬ D
○ ‭ ivides the hash table into segments for thread-safe concurrent access.‬
‭○‬ ‭Does not allow‬‭null‬‭keys or values.‬

‭⚠️ Common Pitfalls‬

‭1.‬ ‭Using Mutable Keys‬‭:‬

‭ ‬ I‭f a key's state changes after insertion, it becomes unretrievable.‬

○
‭○‬ ‭Always use immutable objects like‬‭ String‬‭as keys.‬
hashCode()‬‭and‬‭
‭2.‬ ‭Improper‬‭ equals()‬
‭:‬

hashCode()‬‭and‬‭
‭ ‬ ‭Ensure‬‭
○ equals()‬‭are consistent for‬‭custom keys.‬
‭3.‬ ‭High Load Factors‬‭:‬

‭○‬ A
‭ high load factor (e.g., >0.75) increases collision chances and reduces‬
‭performance.‬

‭🎯 Real-World Use Cases‬

 ‭1.‬ ‭Caching‬‭:‬

‭ ‬ ‭Store frequently accessed data for fast retrieval.‬

○
‭2.‬ ‭Indexing‬‭:‬

‭ ‬ ‭Use for indexing data in databases or search engines.‬

○
‭3.‬ ‭Grouping Data‬‭:‬

‭○‬ ‭Group data based on a common key, like organizing employees by department.‬

‭🎓 Interview-Specific Questions‬
‭Beginner-Level‬

‭1.‬ ‭What is a HashMap?‬

‭○‬ ‭A data structure that stores key-value pairs using hashing.‬

‭2.‬ ‭What is the default capacity and load factor of HashMap?‬

‭○‬ ‭Default capacity:‬‭16‬‭, default load factor:‬‭0.75‬‭.‬

‭Intermediate-Level‬

‭3.‬ ‭What happens if two keys have the same hash code?‬

‭○‬ A
‭ collision occurs. Colliding entries are stored in the same bucket, using a linked‬
‭list or balanced tree.‬
‭4.‬ H
‭ ow does HashMap resize?‬

‭○‬ H
‭ ashMap resizes when the size exceeds capacity × load factor, doubling its‬
‭capacity and redistributing entries.‬

‭Advanced-Level‬

‭5.‬ ‭Why is HashMap's capacity always a power of 2?‬

‭ ‬ ‭Ensures efficient bucket calculation using bitwise operations.‬

○
‭6.‬ ‭What is the difference between HashMap and ConcurrentHashMap?‬

‭○‬ H
‭ashMap‬‭is not thread-safe, while‬‭
ConcurrentHashMap‬‭is thread-safe and‬
‭optimized for concurrency.‬
‭🏅 Coding Challenges‬
‭Challenge 1: Find the First Non-Repeating Character‬

‭public class NonRepeating {‬

‭public static void main(String[] args) {‬

‭String str = "swiss";‬

‭HashMap<Character, Integer> charCount = new HashMap<>();‬

‭for (char c : str.toCharArray()) {‬

‭charCount.put(c, charCount.getOrDefault(c, 0) + 1);‬

‭}‬

‭for (char c : str.toCharArray()) {‬

‭if (charCount.get(c) == 1) {‬

‭System.out.println("First non-repeating character: " + c);‬

‭break;‬

‭}‬

‭}‬

‭}‬

‭}‬

‭Challenge 2: Group Anagrams‬

‭import java.util.*;‬

‭public class GroupAnagrams {‬

‭public static void main(String[] args) {‬

 ‭String[] words = {"bat", "tab", "cat", "act", "dog"};‬

‭HashMap<String, List<String>> anagramGroups = new HashMap<>();‬

‭for (String word : words) {‬

‭char[] chars = word.toCharArray();‬

‭Arrays.sort(chars);‬

‭String sorted = new String(chars);‬

‭anagramGroups.putIfAbsent(sorted, new ArrayList<>());‬

‭anagramGroups.get(sorted).add(word);‬

‭}‬

‭System.out.println(anagramGroups.values());‬

‭}‬

‭}‬

‭Output‬‭:‬

‭[[bat, tab], [cat, act], [dog]]‬

‭🔍‬‭Additional Insights‬
‭1. Load Factor Tuning‬

‭●‬ T ‭ he default load factor (0.75) provides a good trade-off between space and time‬
‭complexity.‬
‭●‬ ‭When to adjust?‬
‭○‬ ‭If memory is limited and read operations dominate, a‬‭higher load factor‬‭reduces‬
‭space usage but increases collision likelihood.‬
‭○‬ ‭If fast access is crucial, a‬‭lower load factor‬‭minimizes‬‭collisions at the cost of‬
‭higher memory usage.‬
‭2. Comparison with Other Data Structures‬
‭Feature‬ ‭HashMap‬ ‭TreeMap‬ ‭LinkedHashMap‬

‭Order‬ ‭Unordered‬ ‭ orted (natural or‬

S I‭nsertion order‬
‭custom)‬ ‭preserved‬

‭Performance‬ ‭O(1) for get/put‬ ‭O(log n) for get/put‬ ‭O(1) for get/put‬

‭Use Case‬ ‭Fast lookups‬ ‭Sorted data access‬ ‭Ordered iteration‬

‭3. Custom Key Class for HashMap‬

HashMap‬
‭If you use a custom object as a key in a‬‭ hashCode()‬‭and‬
‭,‬‭you‬‭must override‬‭
equals()‬
‭ HashMap‬‭will not work‬‭correctly.‬
‭. Without this, the‬‭

‭Example:‬
‭class Employee {‬
‭int id;‬
‭String name;‬

‭Employee(int id, String name) {‬

‭this.id = id;‬
‭this.name = name;‬
‭}‬

‭ Override‬
@
‭public int hashCode() {‬
‭return id; // Use ID as a unique hash‬
‭}‬

‭ Override‬
@
‭public boolean equals(Object obj) {‬
‭if (this == obj) return true;‬
‭if (obj == null || getClass() != obj.getClass()) return false;‬
‭Employee other = (Employee) obj;‬
‭return id == other.id;‬
‭}‬
‭}‬

‭public class Main {‬

‭public static void main(String[] args) {‬
‭HashMap<Employee, String> map = new HashMap<>();‬
‭map.put(new Employee(1, "Alice"), "Developer");‬
 ‭map.put(new Employee(2, "Bob"), "Manager");‬

‭System.out.println(map.get(new Employee(1, "Alice"))); // Output: Developer‬

‭}‬
‭}‬

‭4. HashMap Performance Optimization‬

‭1.‬ ‭Avoid Poorly Distributed HashCodes‬‭:‬

‭○‬ ‭A poorly implemented‬‭ hashCode()‬‭can lead to excessive‬‭collisions.‬
‭○‬ ‭Use prime numbers in hash code calculations for better distribution.‬
‭2.‬ ‭Minimize Resizing‬‭:‬
HashMap‬‭with an appropriate size if‬‭you know the approximate‬
‭○‬ ‭Initialize the‬‭
‭number of elements.‬

‭5. Debugging HashMap Issues‬

‭●‬ ‭Common Issues‬‭:‬

‭○‬ ‭Missing entries due to incorrect‬‭ hashCode()‬‭or‬‭equals()‬‭implementation.‬
‭○‬ ‭Performance degradation caused by excessive collisions.‬
‭●‬ ‭Tools‬‭:‬
‭○‬ ‭Use Java Profiler (e.g., JVisualVM) to monitor bucket usage and resizing‬
‭behavior.‬
hashCode()‬‭values and bucket indices to diagnose‬‭collision problems.‬
‭○‬ ‭Log‬‭

‭🎓 Tips for Interviews‬

‭1. Understand When to Use HashMap‬

‭●‬ ‭Use a‬‭HashMap‬‭when:‬

‭○‬ ‭You need‬‭constant time performance‬‭for lookups and‬‭inserts.‬
‭○‬ ‭Order of elements doesn’t matter‬‭.‬

‭2. Explain the Evolution of Collision Resolution‬

‭●‬ B HashMap‬‭evolved from linked‬‭lists (Java 7) to balanced trees‬

‭ e ready to explain how‬‭
‭(Java 8+) to improve performance.‬
‭3. Real-World Use Case Examples‬

‭●‬ ‭Be prepared to discuss scenarios like:‬

‭○‬ ‭Caching in web applications‬‭.‬
‭○‬ ‭Indexing in databases‬‭.‬
‭○‬ ‭Grouping data‬‭(e.g., anagram grouping, word frequency‬‭counting).‬

‭🛠️ Practice Coding Challenges‬

‭1. Find All Duplicates in an Array‬
i‭mport java.util.HashMap;‬
‭import java.util.List;‬
‭import java.util.ArrayList;‬

‭public class FindDuplicates {‬

‭public static List<Integer> findDuplicates(int[] nums) {‬
‭HashMap<Integer, Integer> map = new HashMap<>();‬
‭List<Integer> duplicates = new ArrayList<>();‬

‭for (int num : nums) {‬

‭map.put(num, map.getOrDefault(num, 0) + 1);‬
‭}‬

‭for (int key : map.keySet()) {‬

‭if (map.get(key) > 1) {‬
‭duplicates.add(key);‬
‭}‬
‭}‬

‭return duplicates;‬
‭}‬

‭public static void main(String[] args) {‬

‭int[] nums = {1, 2, 3, 1, 2, 4};‬
‭System.out.println(findDuplicates(nums)); // Output: [1, 2]‬
‭}‬
‭}‬

‭2. Top K Frequent Elements‬

‭import java.util.*;‬

‭public class TopKFrequent {‬

‭public static List<Integer> topKFrequent(int[] nums, int k) {‬
‭HashMap<Integer, Integer> map = new HashMap<>();‬
‭for (int num : nums) {‬
‭map.put(num, map.getOrDefault(num, 0) + 1);‬
‭}‬

‭PriorityQueue<Map.Entry<Integer, Integer>> pq = new PriorityQueue<>(‬

‭(a, b) -> b.getValue() - a.getValue()‬
‭);‬

‭pq.addAll(map.entrySet());‬

‭ ist<Integer> result = new ArrayList<>();‬

L
‭while (k-- > 0) {‬
‭result.add(pq.poll().getKey());‬
‭}‬

‭return result;‬
‭}‬

‭public static void main(String[] args) {‬

‭int[] nums = {1, 1, 1, 2, 2, 3};‬
‭int k = 2;‬
‭System.out.println(topKFrequent(nums, k)); // Output: [1, 2]‬
‭}‬
‭}‬

‭🔑 Key Takeaways‬
‭●‬ U ‭ nderstand Internals‬‭: Explain hashing, bucket mechanics,‬‭collision handling, and‬
‭resizing.‬
‭●‬ ‭Apply Best Practices‬‭: Use immutable keys, tune capacity/load‬‭factor, and ensure‬
‭proper‬‭ hashCode()‬‭and‬‭ equals()‬‭implementations.‬
‭●‬ ‭Showcase Problem Solving‬‭: Discuss real-world use cases‬‭and demonstrate coding‬
‭proficiency with practical challenges.‬