java classloader overview
Classloader are a fundamental module of the Java language,A classloader is a part of the Java virtual machine that loads the class into memory.a classloader is responsible for finding and loading class files at the run time.Every programmer needs to understand classloaders and their behavior.This section provides an overview of Java classloaders.
Java Classloader Hierachy
The bootstrap classloader is the root of the Java classloader hierarchy.
The Java virtual machine (JVM) creates the bootstrap classloader, which loads the Java development kit (JDK) internal classes and java.* packages included in the JVM. (For example, the bootstrap classloader loads java.lang.String.)
The extensions classloader is a child of the bootstrap classloader. The extensions classloader loads any JAR files placed in the extensions directory of the JDK. This is a convenient means to extending the JDK without adding entries to the classpath. However, anything in the extensions directory must be self-contained and can only refer to classes in the extensions directory or JDK classes.
The system classpath classloader extends the JDK extensions classloader. The system classpath classloader loads the classes from the classpath of the JVM. Application-specific classloaders (including WebLogic Server classloaders) are children of the system classpath classloader.
What BEA refers to as a "system classpath classloader" is often referred to as the "application classloader" in contexts outside of WebLogic Server. When discussing classloaders in WebLogic Server, BEA uses the term "system" to differentiate from classloaders related to J2EE applications (which BEA refers to as "application classloaders").
Classloaders use a delegation model when loading a class. The classloader implementation first checks its cache to see if the requested class has already been loaded. This class verification improves performance in that its cached memory copy is used instead of repeated loading of a class from disk. If the class is not found in its cache, the current classloader asks its parent for the class. Only if the parent cannot load the class does the classloader attempt to load the class. If a class exists in both the parent and child classloaders, the parent version is loaded. This delegation model is followed to avoid multiple copies of the same form being loaded. Multiple copies of the same class can lead to a ClassCastException.