Java 21: Pattern matching for switch

Switch can match on type patterns, replacing long if-else instanceof chains.

Code

Object obj = 42;
String desc = switch (obj) {
    case Integer i -> "int " + i;
    case String s  -> "string " + s;
    case null      -> "null";
    default        -> "other";
};
System.out.println(desc);

Output

int 42

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Published 2026-07-26