A Beginner's Guide to For Loops in Java

Looping is a core concept in computer science. If you need to repeat a task multiple times, you use a loop. In this short tutorial, we will learn exactly how a Java for loop works using a simple code example.

The Code Example

Here is a basic Java loop that prints a message five times:

for (int i = 0; i < 5; i++) {

    System.out.println("The value of i is: " + i);

}

How the Code Works Step-by-Step

A for loop has three main parts inside the parentheses, separated by semicolons:

• 
  int i = 0; (Initialization): This creates a counter variable named i and sets it to 0. It only runs once when the loop starts.


• 
  i < 5; (Condition): The loop checks this condition before every single run. If i is less than 5, the loop runs. If i becomes 5, the loop stops immediately.


• 
  i++ (Increment): This adds 1 to the counter variable i at the end of every loop cycle.

The Output

When you run this Java program, the computer will print this exact output on your screen:

The value of i is: 0

The value of i is: 1

The value of i is: 2

The value of i is: 3

The value of i is: 4