---
title: "What is a stream and what are the types of Streams and classes of the Streams?"  
description: "What is a stream and what are the types of Streams and classes of the Streams?"  
author: "Amit Singh"  
published: 2010-11-25  
updated: 2020-09-22  
canonical: https://www.mindstick.com/interview/262/what-is-a-stream-and-what-are-the-types-of-streams-and-classes-of-the-streams  
category: "java"  
tags: ["java"]  
reading_time: 1 minute  

---

# What is a stream and what are the types of Streams and classes of the Streams?

A Stream is an abstraction that either produces or consumes information. There are two types of Streams and they are: \
Byte Streams: Provide a convenient means for handling input and output of bytes. \
Byte Streams classes: Are defined by using two abstract classes, namely InputStream and OutputStream.\
Character Streams: Provide a convenient means for handling input & output of characters. \
Character Streams classes: Are defined by using two abstract classes, namely Reader and Writer.

## Answers

### Answer by Amit Singh

A Stream is an abstraction that either produces or consumes information. There are two types of Streams and they are: \
Byte Streams: Provide a convenient means for handling input and output of bytes. \
Byte Streams classes: Are defined by using two abstract classes, namely InputStream and OutputStream.\
Character Streams: Provide a convenient means for handling input & output of characters. \
Character Streams classes: Are defined by using two abstract classes, namely Reader and Writer.


---

Original Source: https://www.mindstick.com/interview/262/what-is-a-stream-and-what-are-the-types-of-streams-and-classes-of-the-streams

Copyright © MindStick Software Pvt. Ltd. This Markdown version is provided for developers, AI systems, and offline reading.