I think you're confusing Iterable and Iterator. An iterable is just an object that can be iterated. An iterator is the thing that actually iterates. For instance, a linked list is an iterable. If you have a linked list, you can go over each element in it. If you want to iterate an iterable like a linked list, the way to do that is to obtain that thing's iterator and then use that to actually do the work of fetching each subsequent element. Answer from severoon on reddit.com
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Oracle
docs.oracle.com › javase › 8 › docs › api › java › lang › Iterable.html
Iterable (Java Platform SE 8 )
1 month ago - Performs the given action for each element of the Iterable until all elements have been processed or the action throws an exception. Unless otherwise specified by the implementing class, actions are performed in the order of iteration (if an iteration order is specified).
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GeeksforGeeks
geeksforgeeks.org › java › iterable-interface-in-java
Iterable Interface in Java - GeeksforGeeks
2 weeks ago - The Iterable interface in Java represents a collection of elements that can be traversed one by one.
Discussions

So what is Iterable in Java? Confused with it and Iterable.
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November 5, 2021
java - What is the difference between iterator and iterable and how to use them? - Stack Overflow
I am new in Java and I'm really confused with iterator and iterable. Can anyone explain to me and give some examples? More on stackoverflow.com
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java - Iterable as a return type - Stack Overflow
I'm having trouble understanding a method. I have methods that I need to fill out, but I don't really understand the first one. How can Iterable be a return type and how is it used ? An example wou... More on stackoverflow.com
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java - How can I make my class iterable so I can use foreach syntax? - Stack Overflow
Try implementing the Iterable interface. More on stackoverflow.com
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Oracle
docs.oracle.com › en › java › javase › 17 › docs › api › java.base › java › lang › Iterable.html
Iterable (Java SE 17 & JDK 17)
January 20, 2026 - Performs the given action for each element of the Iterable until all elements have been processed or the action throws an exception. Actions are performed in the order of iteration, if that order is specified.
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Jenkov
jenkov.com › tutorials › java-collections › iterable.html
Java Iterable
The Java Iterable interface represents a collection of objects which is iterable - meaning which can be iterated. This means, that a class that implements the Java Iterable interface can have its elements iterated.
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Reddit
reddit.com › r/javahelp › so what is iterable in java? confused with it and iterable.
r/javahelp on Reddit: So what is Iterable in Java? Confused with it and Iterable.
November 5, 2021 -

I just had to implement this to iterate through some private data structure. What threw me off is I couldn't index or do checks like I would with an array or list. I understand in general it is exactly like it sounds- used to iterate over some collection. Also that it is something we take for granted such as when using a foreach. That is all I get about it, it just seems like an inconvenience right now...

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Scaler
scaler.com › home › topics › java › iterable interface in java
Iterable Interface in Java - Scaler Topics
April 27, 2024 - It was introduced in JDK 1.5. It allows users to iterate through elements sequentially from a collection. It returns each element of the collection one after the other, beginning from the front and moving forward.
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Oracle
docs.oracle.com › en › java › javase › 26 › docs › api › java.base › java › lang › Iterable.html
Iterable (Java SE 26 & JDK 26)
1 month ago - Performs the given action for each element of the Iterable until all elements have been processed or the action throws an exception. Actions are performed in the order of iteration, if that order is specified.
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Oracle
docs.oracle.com › en › java › javase › 11 › docs › api › java.base › java › lang › Iterable.html
Iterable (Java SE 11 & JDK 11 )
January 20, 2026 - public interface Iterable<T> Implementing this interface allows an object to be the target of the enhanced for statement (sometimes called the "for-each loop" statement). Since: 1.5 · See The Java™ Language Specification: 14.14.2 The enhanced for statement ·
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Java
download.java.net › java › early_access › panama › docs › api › java.base › java › lang › Iterable.html
Iterable (Java SE 19 & JDK 19 [build 1])
Performs the given action for each element of the Iterable until all elements have been processed or the action throws an exception. Actions are performed in the order of iteration, if that order is specified.
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Baeldung
baeldung.com › home › java › java collections › differences between iterator and iterable and how to use them?
Differences Between Iterator and Iterable and How to Use Them? | Baeldung
June 27, 2025 - The Iterable interface provides a method that produces an Iterator. When using an Iterable, we cannot get an element by index. Similarly, we cannot get the first or the last elements from the data structure as well.
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Oracle
docs.oracle.com › javase › 7 › docs › api › java › lang › Iterable.html
Iterable (Java Platform SE 7 )
Returns an iterator over a set of elements of type T. ... Java™ Platform Standard Ed.
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Oracle
docs.oracle.com › en › java › javase › 21 › docs › api › java.base › java › lang › Iterable.html
Iterable (Java SE 21 & JDK 21)
January 20, 2026 - Performs the given action for each element of the Iterable until all elements have been processed or the action throws an exception. Actions are performed in the order of iteration, if that order is specified.
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iO Flood
ioflood.com › blog › java-iterable
Java Iterable Interface: Guide and Examples
February 20, 2024 - For instance, it plays a crucial role in database access and file I/O operations in Java. In database operations, the Iterable interface can be used to iterate over a result set from a database query.
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Lean Tactic Reference
course.ccs.neu.edu › cs2510sp18 › lecture25.html
Lecture 25: Iterator and Iterable
In the actual Java implementation of ArrayList, we see something like this: Among many other details of the implementation, ArrayList declares that it implements the Iterable interface, and therefore can be iterated over.
Top answer
1 of 3
9

It looks like your class should have an implementation of Iterable<ClientInterface> as a class member, like ArrayList.

Let's use this as an example:

public class Bus {
   private ArrayList<Person> riders;
   ... //constructors and other methods

   public Iterable<Person> getRiders() {

     return riders;

   }
   ... //other methods
}
2 of 3
8

Everything can be a return type: an enum, a class, an interface, an int, an exception etc.

Iterable is an interface which could be used to use the return in a foreach call (that's why you can use for(T something : AnArrayList) because ArrayList<T> implements Iterable<T>)

Now, my answer contains an example:

We have a method getNeighbours which returns Iterable<ClientInterface>

public Iterable<ClientInterface> getNeighbours()
{
    return new Iterable<ClientInterface>();
}

Well, ok since Iterable is just an interface we need to implement methods or use an implementation.

Since it's something which we should do manually we should implement the methods by ourself.

The only method (in Java8, there are 3 methods but we will ignore it) is iterator() which returns an iterator.

public Iterable<ClientInterface> getNeighbours()
{
    return new Iterable<ClientInterface>()
    {
        @Override
        public Iterator<ClientInterface> iterator()
        {
            return null;
        }
    };
}

Iterator is another interface which is used to provide the logic to iterate over the collection, a list of items etc.

We are forced to implements two methods: hasNext and next

hasNext is used to determinate if there are more items to iterate over, next is used to iterate over it.

public Iterable<ClientInterface> getNeighbours()
{
    return new Iterable<ClientInterface>()
    {
        @Override
        public Iterator<ClientInterface> iterator()
        {
            return new Iterator<ClientInterface>()
            {
                @Override
                public boolean hasNext()
                {
                    return false;
                }

                @Override
                public ClientInterface next()
                {
                    return null;
                }
            };
        }
    };
}

We here need to remember which was our last position so we would create a field inside our Iterator.

public Iterable<ClientInterface> getNeighbours()
{
    return new Iterable<ClientInterface>()
    {
        @Override
        public Iterator<ClientInterface> iterator()
        {
            return new Iterator<ClientInterface>()
            {
                private int position;

                @Override
                public boolean hasNext()
                {
                    return false;
                }

                @Override
                public ClientInterface next()
                {
                    return null;
                }
            };
        }
    };
}

Here the problem: What we should iterate? It depends to you, an example could be:

public Iterable<ClientInterface> getNeighbours()
{
    return new Iterable<ClientInterface>()
    {
        @Override
        public Iterator<ClientInterface> iterator()
        {
            return new Iterator<ClientInterface>()
            {
                private int position;
                private ClientInterface[] items = new ClientInterface[]{new ClientInterface(), new ClientInterface()};

                @Override
                public boolean hasNext()
                {
                    return position != items.length;
                }

                @Override
                public ClientInterface next()
                {
                    if (!hasNext()) throw new NoSuchElementException();
                    return items[position++];
                }
            };
        }
    };
}

Note here how we created an array of items and used our two methods hasNext and next to provide a way to iterate over it.

Every call of next increment the internal pointer, and our hasNext method just checks if the pointer reached the end of the array.

Collections like ArrayList, LinkedList etc. already did the job for you and better (implements remove method) you can get this iterator by using ArrayList.iterator()

Now you could write something like:

for (ClientInterface el : yourClass.getNeighbours())
{
    System.out.println(el);
}
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GeeksforGeeks
geeksforgeeks.org › java › java-implementing-iterator-and-iterable-interface
Java | Implementing Iterator and Iterable Interface - GeeksforGeeks
July 11, 2025 - Why it is needed to implement Iterable interface? Every class that implements Iterable interface appropriately, can be used in the enhanced For loop (for-each loop). The need to implement the Iterator interface arises while designing custom data structures.
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Guava
guava.dev › releases › 21.0 › api › docs › com › google › common › collect › Iterables.html
Iterables (Guava: Google Core Libraries for Java 21.0 API)
An assortment of mainly legacy static utility methods that operate on or return objects of type Iterable. Except as noted, each method has a corresponding Iterator-based method in the Iterators class. Java 8 users: several common uses for this class are now more comprehensively addressed by ...