Difference between if Statement and switch Statement

Key Difference: The if statement is uses a Boolean expression to execute the function and can often be used to check multiple conditions at a time. The switch statement uses a int expression to check each cause to see if it satisfies the conditions, if it does the statement will execute the code.

Many budding engineers and programming enthusiasts come across this question when they start learning about computer programming, and are often stunned by it. The two statements seem similar when performing functions, but under the hood they differ from each other in how the execute operations.

The if statement and switch statement are two different functions that can be used when trying to execute operations. These two are used when one needs to select between two alternatives. In both statements the runtime evaluates each expression in a series until it finds one that is true, at which point it executes the code corresponding to the case. If the expression is false, then the statement shifts to the second case provided.

Both the functions are often used for different reasons though. The if statement is uses a Boolean expression to execute the function and can often be used to check multiple conditions at a time. It is often used when comparing between two strings. It will check the conditions that are provided and if it is true, it will execute the code and if the conditions is not satisfied, it will not execute it. The if statement is commonly used for its nesting ability, in which an if statement can be found under another if function.

The switch statement uses a branch table in order to execute the codes. The coding required is broken down into multiple cases. The statement uses a int expression to check each cause to see if it satisfies the conditions, if it does the statement will execute the code. However, if a statement does not satisfy a condition, the statement will skip the case and move on to another one to see if that one fulfills the conditions. The switch statement are often used for check multiple conditions at the same time.

Comparison between if Statement and switch Statement:

	if Statement	switch Statement
Language	Java	Java
Field	Computer Programming	Computer Programming
Type of expression used	Boolean	Int
Conditions	Can be used check multiple conditions at a time	Can be used to check a single condition at a time
Organized	If more conditions are used, it is more difficult to understand	Even if the number of conditions increase, switch statement is still easier to understand
Nesting	Popular for nesting of a loop	Not as popular for nesting of a loop
Used for	Comparing string vs string	Comparing int, byte, char, long, short, and enum