Difference Between Break And Continue In Java With Example

Both break and continue are used to alter the flow of execution in a Java program, but they work differently. Let’s explore the difference between break and continue in Java.

Break

break is used to terminate the entire loop.

break is a built-in keyword in Java. It is used in all looping statements (such as while, do-while, for, for-each, and nested loops) as well as in switch statements to stop the execution of the current block and transfer control out of the loop or switch.

Syntax:

break;

When we use break inside a nested loop, control is transferred out of the inner loop only. The execution of the outer loop is not affected. To terminate the outer loop as well, we need to use a labeled break statement.

Labeled break syntax:

labelName:
for (initialization; condition; update) {
    for (initialization; condition; update) {
        // some code
        if (condition) {
            break labelName;  // Exits the outer loop with the label
        }
    }
}

Break Statement Flowchart:

Explanation:

• In the loop, we have if condition, if this condition is true then only the break statement will run otherwise body of the loop will be executed.
• If a break is encountered then the entire loop is terminated and control is transferred out to the next statement in the flowchart.

Break Program:

public class BreakExample {
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        int i = 1;
        
        while (i <= 10) {
            if (i == 5) {
                break;  // Exits the loop when i equals 5
            }
            System.out.println("i: " + i);
            i++;
        }
        
        System.out.println("Loop terminated. i is now: " + i);
    }
}

Explanation:

• The loop starts with i = 1 and increments i by 1 in each iteration.
• When i becomes 5, the if condition is true, and the break statement is executed, terminating the loop.
• The program then moves to the next statement outside the loop, printing the final value of i.

i: 1
i: 2
i: 3
i: 4
Loop terminated. i is now: 5

Continue

continue statement is used in all looping statements except the switch statement.

continue keyword is an inbuilt keyword in Java and continue is used to stop the current iteration, not the entire loop

Syntax:

continue;

continue can also be used in nested loops. If continue is used inside the inner loop, it skips the current iteration of the inner loop and transfers control to the update expression (increment/decrement) of the inner loop, not the outer loop. After updating, the inner loop’s condition is re-evaluated.

If we want to move control to the outer loop’s update expression after a continue statement is encountered, we need to use a labeled continue.

Labeled Continue Syntax:

label_name:
for (...) {
    for (...) {
        if (condition) {
            continue label_name;
        }
    }
}

Flowchart :

Explanation:

• In the loop, when if condition becomes true the continue statement will be encountered.
• continue statement will transfer the control to the while loop test condition and skip the remaining part of the body.
• The loop will run until the loop condition becomes false.

Continue Program:

public class ContinueExample {
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        int i = 1;
        
        while (i <= 10) {
            if (i == 5) {
                System.out.println("Skipping when i = " + i + " (continue encountered)");
                i++;  // Increment to avoid infinite loop
                continue;  // Skips the rest of the loop for i = 5
            }
            System.out.println("i: " + i);
            i++;
        }
        
        System.out.println("Loop completed.");
    }
}

Explanation:

• The program uses a while loop that prints numbers from 1 to 10.
• When i equals 5, the continue statement is triggered, skipping the printing of i = 5.
• The loop continues with the next iteration, printing the rest of the numbers (6 to 10).
• The message “Skipping when i = 5” indicates when the continue is encountered, and the loop ends after printing all values except 5.

i: 1
i: 2
i: 3
i: 4
Skipping when i = 5 (continue encountered)
i: 6
i: 7
i: 8
i: 9
i: 10
Loop completed.

Conclusion

In summary, both break and continue are control flow statements used in loops, but they function differently. The break statement is used to terminate the loop entirely, transferring control to the next statement outside the loop. On the other hand, the continue statement skips the current iteration of the loop and moves control to the next iteration. Choose between break and continue based on whether you need to exit the loop completely or simply skip a specific iteration.

We’d Love to Hear From You!

Do you have any questions or insights about the differences between break and continue in Java? Have you encountered scenarios where one was clearly more suitable than the other? Share your thoughts and experiences in the comments below! We’d love to hear how you’ve used these control flow statements in your Java projects and any tips you might have for others.