Cloneable
Cloneable is a marker interface in Java that indicates a class allows object cloning through the Object.clone() method. It does not contain any methods itself but serves as a signal to the Java runtime that instances of the implementing class can be cloned. Cloning creates a shallow copy of an object, meaning it copies field values but not the objects referenced by those fields.
Developers should use Cloneable when they need to create copies of objects efficiently, such as in prototyping patterns, caching mechanisms, or when duplicating complex state without re-initialization. It is particularly useful in scenarios where object creation is expensive, but it requires careful implementation to avoid issues with mutable objects and deep copying needs.