String Literals vs. String Objects in C#: Understanding Memory Management and Behavior

Learn the key differences between string literals and string objects in C#. This guide clarifies how they are stored in memory (string interning), their mutability, and best practices for using string literals and string objects effectively in your C# code.

String Literals vs. String Objects in C#

In C#, both string literals and string objects represent text, but they have important differences in how they're stored in memory and how they behave. Understanding these differences is key to writing efficient and correct C# code.

String Literals

A string literal is a sequence of characters enclosed in double quotes (`""`). It represents a fixed, immutable (unchangeable) string. String literals are often used to directly represent string values in your code. String literals with the same value share the same memory location due to string interning (a memory optimization technique).

Example: String Literals

string message = "Hello, world!";
string filePath = @"C:\path\to\file.txt"; // Verbatim string literal

String Objects

A string object is an instance of the `System.String` class. Like string literals, string objects are also immutable. However, unlike string literals, each string object has its own unique allocation in memory. String objects are useful for manipulating strings dynamically at runtime.

Example: String Objects

string myString = new String(new char[] { 'H', 'e', 'l', 'l', 'o' });
string anotherString = String.Concat("Hello", " ", "world!");

Key Differences: String Literals vs. String Objects