Difference between Early Binding and Late Binding in Java

In Java, the term "binding" describes the mechanism by which the Java Compiler associates a call to a method or function in the body of the statement. In simple terms, binding is the process through which the Java compiler finds the appropriate method when a function is called. Binding in Java is divided into two primary categories based on when the compiler is able to link a method body with its method call:

Static Binding is another name for early Binding.
Dynamic Binding, sometimes referred to as Late Binding

1. A static or early binding :

The process of connecting or "binding" a method body with its call is referred to as binding. The association of these two entities by the Java Compiler at build time is referred to as early or static binding. Before any method execution occurs, static binding is utilized to link any private, final, or static method bodies with their method call statements. Overloading methods are the best example of early binding.

class Car {

    public static void startEngine(){
System.out.println("Car Engine Started");
    }
}
public class Porsche extends Car {

    public static void startEngine(){
System.out.println("Porche's Engine Started");
    }

    public static void main(String args[]){

        Car car1 = new Porsche();
        Car car2 = new Car();
        car1.startEngine();
        car2.startEngine();
    }
}

Output:

Car Engine Started
Car Engine Started

Let's examine the output of thementioned code. We find that, even though the "startEngine" method was overridden in the derived class Porsche and that the object "car1" was initialized with reference to the class Porsche, the "startEngine()" method was left unmodified and still printed the text of the superclass Car. It was caused by the static function "startEngine()" of the class Car's being constrained by the java compiler during compilation, making it impossible to override.

Late or Dynamic Binding

Late binding or dynamic binding is used by the compiler if it is impossible to determine which method call a specific method is bound to during compilation. Method Overriding is the most effective example of dynamic binding. A subclass overrides the method of the superclass, and during execution, methods are linked to the appropriate references.

It should be emphasized that the method being overridden must not be defined as static, final, or private in order for dynamic binding to take place. Suppose any of the mentioned modifiers are used while declaring the method. In that case, Java will use static binding since it can quickly identify the parent reference and prevent the method from being overwritten.

Let's examine dynamic binding using the prior illustration. However, the methods won't be declared "static" this time.

class Car {

    public void startEngine(){
System.out.println("Car Engine Started");
    }
}

public class Porsche extends Car {

    public void startEngine(){
System.out.println("Porche's Engine Started");
    }

    public static void main(String args[]){

        Car car1 = new Porsche();
        Car car2 = new Car();
        car1.startEngine();
        car2.startEngine();
    }
}

Output:

Porche's Engine Started
Car Engine Started

It is clear from the output difference that the override method "startEngine()" was called and that the Porsche class reference was correctly bound during the first method call. The java compiler had to resort to dynamic binding because it could not locate a reference to bind the method to during compilation since we had stopped using the static keyword as a modifier to the method. It meant that the method's type or reference was decided at runtime.

Comparison of Early and Late Binding

Here, you will learn the head-to-head comparisons between Early Binding and Late Binding. The main differences between Early Binding and Late Binding are as follows:

Early Binding	Late Binding
*Early Binding* is the way of resolving method calling that takes place at compile time by utilizing the class information.	The term *"Late Binding"* refers to the practice of a call to a method or function in the body of the statement that takes place at run time.
It takes place during compilation.	It takes place at runtime.
Early Binding resolves method calling by using the class information.	The object is used by Late Binding to resolve method calling.
Early binding is also referred to as *static binding*.	Late binding is also referred to as *dynamic binding*.
Early binding is used to bond overloading methods.	Late binding is used to bond overridden methods.
Early binding has a faster execution speed.	Late binding has a slower execution speed.