A daemon thread in Java is a thread that runs in the background and does not prevent the program from terminating when all non-daemon threads have finished. These threads are typically used for background tasks like garbage collection or monitoring.

  • Key characteristics:
    • Daemon threads are terminated automatically when the Java Virtual Machine (JVM) exits.
    • They do not block the program from exiting, even if they are still running.
    • Can be set using Thread.setDaemon(true) before starting the thread.

In summary, daemon threads are background threads that are used for low-priority tasks and are automatically terminated when the program ends.