What Are Java I/O Streams?
Java I/O (Input/Output) is used to read data from input sources (like files, keyboard, network)
and write data to output destinations (like files, console, network).
There are two types of streams:
Stream Type Base Class Data Type
Byte Streams InputStream / OutputStream Binary data (images, files)
Character Streams Reader / Writer Text data (characters)
Byte Streams in Java
1. FileInputStream – Read bytes from a file
import java.io.FileInputStream;
import java.io.IOException;
public class ByteReadExample {
public static void main(String[] args) {
try (FileInputStream fis = new FileInputStream("input.txt")) {
int ch;
while ((ch = fis.read()) != -1) {
System.out.print((char) ch);
}
} catch (IOException e) {
e.printStackTrace();
}
}
}
2. FileOutputStream – Write bytes to a file
import java.io.FileOutputStream;
import java.io.IOException;
public class ByteWriteExample {
public static void main(String[] args) {
String data = "Hello, Byte Stream!";
try (FileOutputStream fos = new FileOutputStream("output.txt")) {
fos.write(data.getBytes());
} catch (IOException e) {
e.printStackTrace();
}
}
}
Character Streams in Java
3. FileReader – Read characters from a file
import java.io.FileReader;
import java.io.IOException;
public class CharReadExample {
public static void main(String[] args) {
try (FileReader reader = new FileReader("input.txt")) {
int ch;
while ((ch = reader.read()) != -1) {
System.out.print((char) ch);
}
} catch (IOException e) {
e.printStackTrace();
}
}
}
4. FileWriter – Write characters to a file
import java.io.FileWriter;
import java.io.IOException;
public class CharWriteExample {
public static void main(String[] args) {
String data = "Hello, Character Stream!";
try (FileWriter writer = new FileWriter("output.txt")) {
writer.write(data);
} catch (IOException e) {
e.printStackTrace();
}
}
}
Buffered Streams (More Efficient)
Buffered streams read/write larger chunks of data, making I/O faster.
5. BufferedReader & BufferedWriter
import java.io.*;
public class BufferedReaderWriterExample {
public static void main(String[] args) {
try (BufferedWriter writer = new BufferedWriter(new
FileWriter("buffered.txt"))) {
writer.write("Buffered writing example");
} catch (IOException e) {
e.printStackTrace();
}
try (BufferedReader reader = new BufferedReader(new
FileReader("buffered.txt"))) {
String line;
while ((line = reader.readLine()) != null) {
System.out.println(line);
}
} catch (IOException e) {
e.printStackTrace();
}
}
}
Object Streams (Serialization)
Use Object Streams to write and read entire Java objects.
6. ObjectOutputStream & ObjectInputStream
import java.io.*;
class Student implements Serializable {
int id;
String name;
Student(int id, String name) {
this.id = id;
this.name = name;
}
}
public class ObjectStreamExample {
public static void main(String[] args) {
Student s1 = new Student(101, "John");
// Serialize object
try (ObjectOutputStream oos = new ObjectOutputStream(new
FileOutputStream("student.ser"))) {
oos.writeObject(s1);
} catch (IOException e) {
e.printStackTrace();
}
// Deserialize object
try (ObjectInputStream ois = new ObjectInputStream(new
FileInputStream("student.ser"))) {
Student s2 = (Student) ois.readObject();
System.out.println("ID: " + s2.id + ", Name: " + s2.name);
} catch (IOException | ClassNotFoundException e) {
e.printStackTrace();
}
}
}
Standard Input/Output Streams
7. Reading from Console using System.in
import java.io.*;
public class ConsoleInputExample {
public static void main(String[] args) throws IOException {
BufferedReader br = new BufferedReader(new
InputStreamReader(System.in));
System.out.print("Enter something: ");
String input = br.readLine();
System.out.println("You entered: " + input);
}
}
Summary Table
Task Class Used
Read binary file FileInputStream
Write binary file FileOutputStream
Read text file FileReader / BufferedReader
Write text file FileWriter / BufferedWriter
Serialize object ObjectOutputStream
Deserialize object ObjectInputStream
Read from console InputStreamReader + BufferedReader
Project Name: File I/O Stream Example in Java
Take user input (name, age, etc.)
Save the data to a file
Read the file content
Display it to the user
Project Structure
FileIOProject/
│
├── Main.java
└── user_data.txt
Main.java
import java.io.*;
import java.util.Scanner;
public class Main {
public static void main(String[] args) {
String fileName = "user_data.txt";
Scanner scanner = new Scanner(System.in);
try {
// 1. Get user input
System.out.println("Enter your name:");
String name = scanner.nextLine();
System.out.println("Enter your age:");
String age = scanner.nextLine();
// 2. Write data to file using BufferedWriter
BufferedWriter writer = new BufferedWriter(new
FileWriter(fileName));
writer.write("Name: " + name);
writer.newLine();
writer.write("Age: " + age);
writer.newLine();
writer.close();
System.out.println("Data written to " + fileName);
// 3. Read data from file using BufferedReader
System.out.println("\nReading data from file:");
BufferedReader reader = new BufferedReader(new
FileReader(fileName));
String line;
while ((line = reader.readLine()) != null) {
System.out.println(line);
}
reader.close();
} catch (IOException e) {
System.out.println("An error occurred: " + e.getMessage());
} finally {
scanner.close();
}
}
}
How to Run
1. Create a folder named FileIOProject.
2. Save the code above in a file named Main.java.
3. Open terminal or command prompt.
4. Compile and run:
javac Main.java
java Main
Output Example
Enter your name:
Alice
Enter your age:
23
Data written to user_data.txt
Reading data from file:
Name: Alice
Age: 23
