Home / Errors / Objects.requireNonNullElse()
Errors beginner

Objects.requireNonNullElse()

Get a non-null value with a clear default, no ternary needed.

Code Comparison
✕ Java 8 
String name = input != null
    ? input
    : "default";
// easy to get the order wrong
✓ Java 9+ 
String name = Objects
    .requireNonNullElse(
        input, "default"
    );
Why the modern way wins
📖

Clear intent

Method name describes exactly what it does.

🛡️

Null-safe default

The default value is also checked for null.

📏

Readable

Better than ternary for simple null-or-default logic.

Old Approach
Ternary Null Check
Modern Approach
requireNonNullElse()
Since JDK
9
Difficulty
beginner
JDK Support
Objects.requireNonNullElse()
Available

Widely available since JDK 9 (Sept 2017)

How it works

requireNonNullElse returns the first argument if non-null, otherwise the second. The default itself cannot be null — it throws NPE if both are null, catching bugs early.

Related patterns

Errors beginner

Helpful NullPointerExceptions

Java 8
// Old NPE message:
// "NullPointerException"
// at MyApp.main(MyApp.java:42)
// Which variable was null?!
Java 14+
// Modern NPE message:
// Cannot invoke "String.length()"
// because "user.address().city()"
// is null
// Exact variable identified!
Hover to see modern ➜
JDK 14+ →
Errors intermediate

Record-based error responses

Java 8
// Verbose error class
public class ErrorResponse {
    private final int code;
    private final String message;
    // constructor, getters, equals,
    // hashCode, toString...
}
Java 16+
public record ApiError(
    int code,
    String message,
    Instant timestamp
) {
    public ApiError(int code, String msg) {
        this(code, msg, Instant.now());
    }
}
Hover to see modern ➜
JDK 16+ →
Errors beginner

Optional chaining

Java 8
String city = null;
if (user != null) {
    Address addr = user.getAddress();
    if (addr != null) {
        city = addr.getCity();
    }
}
if (city == null) city = "Unknown";
Java 9+
String city = Optional.ofNullable(user)
    .map(User::address)
    .map(Address::city)
    .orElse("Unknown");
Hover to see modern ➜
JDK 9+ →
Share 𝕏 🦋 in ⬡