Java logger : Static block initialization or initialize in variable declaration

Question

Currently I'm using logger in my project in the following way :

private static final Logger LOGGER;
static{
 LOGGER = logger.getLogger();
}

I got a code review for using static block to initialize the logger variable. I was told to intialize the logger variable in the declaration statement itself.

private static final Logger LOGGER = Logger.getLogger();

I'm trying to figure out as to what difference will it make if I don't initialize it in the static block. I want to know if this is a practice.

• Stack Exchange Broke The Law: It doesn't make any difference, but one of them involves more typing and more lines of code.
• user207421: They will both generate exactly the same bytecode. Which one you prefer is entirely a matter of taste,
• Martin Schröder: Why don't you use Lombok?
• David DeMar: Lombok is cancer

Answer 1

Except for some really bizarre corner cases involving the sequence of initializers, the two alternatives will work exactly the same.

However, initializing the instance right in the declaration is shorter and more familiar, and should be preferred for that reason alone.

Static initialization blocks are a somewhat exotic construct and should only be used when they actually provide added value, such as when you need to handle exceptions.

• user949300: Good point mentioning Exceptions as a rare case for using static blocks.
• RubberDuck: Intializing a HashMap is another good usecase.
• cbojar: @RubberDuck Although Java 9's Map.of methods should help with that.
• kapex: @cbojar Map.of returns an immutable map though, so if you actually need a HashMap you still need to do it the old way. Or something like new HashMap(Map.of(...))
• cbojar: @Kapep Yes, using it to pass to the constructor is how I would do it if I needed a mutable map instead of the initializer block.