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Java - Bitwise Operators

Quiz

Java bitwise operators are used to perform operations at the binary (bit) level. These operators work on individual bits of numbers. They are commonly used in low-level programming, encryption, and performance optimization.

Java defines several bitwise operators, which can be applied to the integer types, long, int, short, char, and byte.

Bitwise operator works on bits and performs bit-by-bit operation. Assume if a = 60 and b = 13; now in binary format they will be as follows −

a = 0011 1100
b = 0000 1101
a&b = 0000 1100
a|b = 0011 1101
a^b = 0011 0001
~a  = 1100 0011

List of Java Bitwise Operators

The following table lists the bitwise operators −

Assume integer variable A holds 60 and variable B holds 13 then −

Operator	Description	Example
& (bitwise and)	Binary AND Operator copies a bit to the result if it exists in both operands.	(A & B) will give 12 which is 0000 1100
\| (bitwise or)	Binary OR Operator copies a bit if it exists in either operand.	(A \| B) will give 61 which is 0011 1101
^ (bitwise XOR)	Binary XOR Operator copies the bit if it is set in one operand but not both.	(A ^ B) will give 49 which is 0011 0001
⁓ (bitwise compliment)	Binary Ones Complement Operator is unary and has the effect of 'flipping' bits.	(⁓A ) will give -61 which is 1100 0011 in 2's complement form due to a signed binary number.
<< (left shift)	Binary Left Shift Operator. The left operands value is moved left by the number of bits specified by the right operand.	A << 2 will give 240 which is 1111 0000
>> (right shift)	Binary Right Shift Operator. The left operands value is moved right by the number of bits specified by the right operand.	A >> 2 will give 15 which is 1111
>>> (zero fill right shift)	Shift right zero fill operator. The left operands value is moved right by the number of bits specified by the right operand and shifted values are filled up with zeros.	A >>>2 will give 15 which is 0000 1111

The following programs are simple examples which demonstrate the bitwise operators. Copy and paste the following Java programs as Test.java file, and compile and run the programs −

Example 1

In this example, we're creating two variables a and b and using bitwise operators. We've performed bitwise AND and bitwise OR operations and printed the results.

public class Test {

   public static void main(String args[]) {
      int a = 60;	/* 60 = 0011 1100 */
      int b = 13;	/* 13 = 0000 1101 */
      int c = 0;

      c = a & b;        /* 12 = 0000 1100 */
      System.out.println("a & b = " + c );

      c = a | b;        /* 61 = 0011 1101 */
      System.out.println("a | b = " + c );
   }
}

Output

a & b = 12
a | b = 61

Example 2

In this example, we're creating two variables a and b and using bitwise operators. We've performed bitwise XOR and Complement operations and printed the results.

public class Test {

   public static void main(String args[]) {
      int a = 60;	/* 60 = 0011 1100 */
      int b = 13;	/* 13 = 0000 1101 */
      int c = 0;

      c = a ^ b;        /* 49 = 0011 0001 */
      System.out.println("a ^ b = " + c );

      c = ~a;           /*-61 = 1100 0011 */
      System.out.println("~a = " + c );
   }
}

Output

a ^ b = 49
~a = -61

Example 3

In this example, we're creating two variables a and b and using bitwise operators. We've performed left shift, right shift and zero fill right shift operations and printed the results.

public class Test {

   public static void main(String args[]) {
      int a = 60;	/* 60 = 0011 1100 */
      int c = 0;

      c = a << 2;       /* 240 = 1111 0000 */
      System.out.println("a << 2 = " + c );

      c = a >> 2;       /* 15 = 1111 */
      System.out.println("a >> 2  = " + c );

      c = a >>> 2;      /* 15 = 0000 1111 */
      System.out.println("a >>> 2 = " + c );
   }
}

Output

a << 2 = 240
a >> 2  = 15
a >>> 2 = 15

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