How to correctly determine the type of an object in Java?

Both points are valid. I’ll just take it a step further with generics—especially if you’re aiming for type safety and flexibility.

If you’re dynamically working with various types and want a cleaner way to java get type of object, generics offer a nice middle ground:

public <T> void test(T value) {  
    System.out.println("This is a " + value.getClass().getSimpleName());  
}

:white_check_mark: It’s concise, flexible, and great for debugging or logging purposes.

:mag: Final tip: Use instanceof for inheritance-aware checks, getClass() for exact matches, and generics when you want to handle any type in a clean, reusable way. All three help when you’re working to java get type of object efficiently. :wrench: