What does the Java assert keyword do, and when should it be used?

Question

What are some real life examples to understand the key role of assertions?

Answer 1

Here's the most common use case. Suppose you're switching on an enum value:

switch (fruit) {
  case apple:
    // do something
    break;
  case pear:
    // do something
    break;
  case banana:
    // do something
    break;
}

As long as you handle every case, you're fine. But someday, somebody will add fig to your enum and forget to add it to your switch statement. This produces a bug that may get tricky to catch, because the effects won't be felt until after you've left the switch statement. But if you write your switch like this, you can catch it immediately:

switch (fruit) {
  case apple:
    // do something
    break;
  case pear:
    // do something
    break;
  case banana:
    // do something
    break;
  default:
    assert false : "Missing enum value: " + fruit;
}