Java new String and new StringBuilder in heap behavior

Question

1. Does the String pool reside on the heap? If yes, are String literals eligible for garbage collection?

When using new String(\"abc\"), we kn

Answer 1

You are confusing compile time, load time, and runtime.

A string literal is added to the constant pool at class loading time. Just a mention of a literal anywhere in the class code is enough; you don't even have to execute any line of code in that class.

On the other hand, the expression new String("literal") yields a new String instance each time it is evaluated. That instance is distinct from the one in the constant pool and has a copy of the string value.

StringBuilder acts exactly the same way as String in this respect: it is initialized with a copy of the string literal's value.