Difference between Java Enumeration and Iterator

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Looking at the Java API Specification for the Iterator interface, there is an explanation of the differences between Enumeration:

Iterators differ from
enumerations in two ways:

  • Iterators allow the caller to remove elements from the underlying
    collection during the iteration with
    well-defined semantics.
  • Method names have been improved.

The bottom line is, both Enumeration and Iterator will give successive elements, but Iterator improved the method names by shortening away the verbiage, and it has an additional remove method. Here is a side-by-side comparison:

  Enumeration                     Iterator
  ----------------                ----------------
  hasMoreElements()               hasNext()
  nextElement()                   next()
  N/A                             remove()

As also mentioned in the Java API Specifications, for newer programs, Iterator should be preferred over Enumeration, as “Iterator takes the place of Enumeration in the Java collections framework.” (From the Iterator specifications.)

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