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What are generics in C# with example?

Author

Daniel Rodriguez

Published Mar 10, 2026

What are generics in C# with example?

Generic is a class which allows the user to define classes and methods with the placeholder. Generics were added to version 2.0 of the C# language. The basic idea behind using Generic is to allow type (Integer, String, … etc and user-defined types) to be a parameter to methods, classes, and interfaces.

When would you use generics in your code C#?

There are mainly two reasons to use generics as in the following:

  1. Performance: Collections that store the objects uses boxing and unboxing on data types. A collection can reduce the performance.
  2. Type Safety: there is no strong type information at compile time as to what it is stored in the collection.

What are generics used for?

In a nutshell, generics enable types (classes and interfaces) to be parameters when defining classes, interfaces and methods. Much like the more familiar formal parameters used in method declarations, type parameters provide a way for you to re-use the same code with different inputs.

What are the advantages of generics in C#?

Advantages and disadvantages of generics

  • Type safety.
  • Less code and code is more easily reused.
  • Better performance.
  • Generic delegates enable type-safe callbacks without the need to create multiple delegate classes.
  • Generics streamline dynamically generated code.

What is difference between collection and generics in C#?

A generic collection is strongly typed (you can store one type of objects into it) so that we can eliminate runtime type mismatches, it improves the performance by avoiding boxing and unboxing….Generics And Generic Collections In C#

.Net CollectionGeneric Collection
Array listList (Generic)
Hash tableDictionary
Stack StackGenerics
QueueQueues Generics

What is generic type?

A generic type is a generic class or interface that is parameterized over types. The following Box class will be modified to demonstrate the concept.

What is a generic example?

Generic is defined as a product without a brand name. An example of a generic is the can of soup with a brand issued by the grocery store. The definition of generic is something without a brand name. An example of generic is the type of soap with a store’s label that says “soap,” but without a brand name.

What is generic types in C#?

In C#, generic means not specific to a particular data type. C# allows you to define generic classes, interfaces, abstract classes, fields, methods, static methods, properties, events, delegates, and operators using the type parameter and without the specific data type.

What is a generic list in C#?

In c#, List is a generic type of collection, so it will allow storing only strongly typed objects, i.e., elements of the same data type. The size of the list will vary dynamically based on our application requirements, like adding or removing elements from the list.

What is generic method in C#?

A generic method is a method that is declared with type parameters, as follows: C# Copy. static void Swap(ref T lhs, ref T rhs) { T temp; temp = lhs; lhs = rhs; rhs = temp; } The following code example shows one way to call the method by using int for the type argument: C# Copy.

What is a generic type C#?

Generic means the general form, not specific. In C#, generic means not specific to a particular data type. C# allows you to define generic classes, interfaces, abstract classes, fields, methods, static methods, properties, events, delegates, and operators using the type parameter and without the specific data type.

What is a generic function in C?

A generic function is a function that is declared with type parameters. When called, actual types are used instead of the type parameters.