Annotations

Annotations in Java serve as a form of metadata that provides information about a program without affecting its execution. They can direct the compiler to detect errors, suppress warnings, and enable runtime processing. Custom annotations can be created similarly to interfaces, while predefined annotations like @Deprecated and @Override address common use-cases. Since Java SE 8, annotations can also be applied to any type, enhancing type checking. Meta-annotations, such as @Retention and @Target, apply to other annotations, and repeating annotations allow the same annotation to be used multiple times on a declaration, facilitating more flexible coding practices.