---
title: "Is it possible to declare a class as static in Java?"  
description: "Is it possible to declare a class as static in Java?"  
author: "Anonymous User"  
published: 2015-07-21  
updated: 2015-07-21  
canonical: https://www.mindstick.com/forum/23359/is-it-possible-to-declare-a-class-as-static-in-java  
category: "java"  
tags: ["java"]  
reading_time: 2 minutes  

---

# Is it possible to declare a class as static in Java?

Why are you not able to declare a [class](https://www.mindstick.com/blog/165/generic-class-in-c-sharp) as [static](https://www.mindstick.com/articles/12098/the-static-keyword-the-static-methods) in [Java](https://www.mindstick.com/articles/12214/web-development-company-in-india-laid-on-the-foundation-of-concrete-java-programming)?

## Replies

### Reply by Anonymous User

Only nested classes can be static. By doing so you can use the nested class without having an instance of the outer class.

```
class OuterClass{    public static class StaticNestedClass{    }    public class InnerClass{    }    public InnerClass getAnInnerClass(){        return new InnerClass();    }    //This method doesn't work    public static InnerClass getAnInnerClassStatically(){        return new InnerClass();    }}
```

\

```
class OtherClass{    //Use of a static nested class:    private OuterClass.StaticNestedClass staticNestedClass = new OuterClass.StaticNestedClass();    //Doesn't work    private OuterClass.InnerClass innerClass = new OuterClass.InnerClass();    //Use of an inner class:    private OuterClass outerclass= new OuterClass();    private OuterClass.InnerClass innerClass2 = outerclass.getAnInnerClass();    private OuterClass.InnerClass innerClass3 = outerclass.new InnerClass();}
```

\
Class with private constructor is static.Declare your class like this:\

```
public class eOAuth {    private eOAuth(){}    public final static int    ECodeOauthInvalidGrant = 0x1;    public final static int    ECodeOauthUnknown       = 0x10;    public static GetSomeStuff(){}}
```

and you can used without initialization:\

```
if (value == eOAuth.ECodeOauthInvalidGrant)    eOAuth.GetSomeStuff();...
```


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Original Source: https://www.mindstick.com/forum/23359/is-it-possible-to-declare-a-class-as-static-in-java

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