StringUtils.isBlank() checks that each character of the string is a whitespace character (or that the string is empty or that it's null). This is totally different than just checking if the string is empty.
From the linked documentation:
Checks if a String is whitespace, empty ("") or null.
StringUtils.isBlank(null) = true StringUtils.isBlank("") = true StringUtils.isBlank(" ") = true StringUtils.isBlank("bob") = false StringUtils.isBlank(" bob ") = false
For comparison StringUtils.isEmpty:
StringUtils.isEmpty(null) = true
StringUtils.isEmpty("") = true
StringUtils.isEmpty(" ") = false
StringUtils.isEmpty("bob") = false
StringUtils.isEmpty(" bob ") = false
Warning: In java.lang.String.isBlank() and java.lang.String.isEmpty() work the same except they don't return true for null.
java.lang.String.isBlank() (since Java 11)
java.lang.String.isEmpty()
Medium
medium.com › @lp.lok.payu › isempty-vs-empty-vs-isblank-vs-isnull-12aea580fe4b
isEmpty() vs empty() vs isBlank() vs isNull() | by leela prasad | Medium
February 16, 2025 - The isEmpty operator checks if a string contains no characters and is only whitespace. The isBlank operator checks if a string contains no characters, is only whitespace, and is null.
Top answer 1 of 14
707
StringUtils.isBlank() checks that each character of the string is a whitespace character (or that the string is empty or that it's null). This is totally different than just checking if the string is empty.
From the linked documentation:
Checks if a String is whitespace, empty ("") or null.
StringUtils.isBlank(null) = true StringUtils.isBlank("") = true StringUtils.isBlank(" ") = true StringUtils.isBlank("bob") = false StringUtils.isBlank(" bob ") = false
For comparison StringUtils.isEmpty:
StringUtils.isEmpty(null) = true
StringUtils.isEmpty("") = true
StringUtils.isEmpty(" ") = false
StringUtils.isEmpty("bob") = false
StringUtils.isEmpty(" bob ") = false
Warning: In java.lang.String.isBlank() and java.lang.String.isEmpty() work the same except they don't return true for null.
java.lang.String.isBlank() (since Java 11)
java.lang.String.isEmpty()
2 of 14
168
The accepted answer from @arshajii is totally correct. However just being more explicit by saying below,
StringUtils.isBlank()
StringUtils.isBlank(null) = true
StringUtils.isBlank("") = true
StringUtils.isBlank(" ") = true
StringUtils.isBlank("bob") = false
StringUtils.isBlank(" bob ") = false
StringUtils.isEmpty
StringUtils.isEmpty(null) = true
StringUtils.isEmpty("") = true
StringUtils.isEmpty(" ") = false
StringUtils.isEmpty("bob") = false
StringUtils.isEmpty(" bob ") = false
Videos
04:59
Java 77: The isBlank() vs the isEmpty() method - YouTube
00:40
isBlank() vs isEmpty() method of String class? #javaprogramming ...
09:24
Exploring the Difference between isEmpty() and isBlank ...
01:00
isEmpty vs isBlank in #java string - YouTube
06:35
Difference between isEmpty() & isBlank() String methods(Core Java ...
When to use isEmpty() over isBlank()?
Use isEmpty() when you want to check if a string has absolutely no characters. Choose isBlank() when you want to check if a string is either empty or contains only spaces, tabs, or similar whitespace characters.
bootcamptoprod.com
bootcamptoprod.com › java-string-isempty-vs-isblank
Java String isEmpty vs isBlank: A Detailed Comparison - BootcampToProd
Is there a performance difference between isEmpty() and isBlank()?
isBlank() involves additional checks for whitespace characters, potentially impacting performance, especially with larger strings, compared to isEmpty().
bootcamptoprod.com
bootcamptoprod.com › java-string-isempty-vs-isblank
Java String isEmpty vs isBlank: A Detailed Comparison - BootcampToProd
How to check if a string is null, empty, or blank in Java?
You can use a combination of the Objects class methods and the String class methods to check if a string is null, empty, or blank. For example:Object class method: Objects.isNull(str)String class methods: str.isEmpty() or str.isBlank()
bootcamptoprod.com
bootcamptoprod.com › java-string-isempty-vs-isblank
Java String isEmpty vs isBlank: A Detailed Comparison - BootcampToProd
Baeldung
baeldung.com › home › java › java string › difference between string isempty() and isblank()
Difference Between String isEmpty() and isBlank() | Baeldung
December 2, 2025 - Additionally, the escape sequences \t, \n, \r, \f, and \s are considered whitespace characters, so only isBlank() returns true. In contrast, isEmpty() returns false for all of them. Finally, for any other character different from the ones shown in the table, both methods return false. Before Java 11, developers typically used the combination of String.trim() and String.isEmpty() to validate that a text contains only whitespace characters.
Reddit
reddit.com › r/askprogramming › in java, should i use (string ) isempty() or isblank() when checking an xml object for an empty value?
r/AskProgramming on Reddit: In Java, should I use (String ) isEmpty() or isBlank() when checking an XML object for an empty value?
September 26, 2022 -
I have some config file and it is deployed in many regions. Some regions have certain requirements for example lets say one region needed a username and password (basic auth). The current setup is that each deployment has it's own config file and only the instances where it is needed are these values included in the respective config.xml file.
So I have in my Java code some logic that says
'if this element is in the XML, set the corresponding variable with its value, if not do nothing'
So when I'm trying to see if that value is present or if the tag is empty/blank, which String utility should I use to check?
example code (default option left open as empty string):
if (my_config.getString(USER_ID_ELEMENT, "") != null
& my_config.getString(PASSWORD_ELEMENT, "") != null) {
my_userId = m_config.getString(USER_ID_ELEMENT, "");
my_password = m_config.getString(PASSWORD_ELEMENT, "");Here I'm checking if it is not null, but I don't think it's a very good test since I don't know if an empty XML tag is blank or is empty (i think null isn't even an option)?
Top answer 1 of 2
2
What behavior do you want if the xml parser emits " " as the config value?
2 of 2
2
Blank and empty are not the same thing. Empty means "" and only "". Blank means "", " ", " ", and so on. Which you use depends on your use case, but usually its safest to go with isBlank combined with a null check.
Zoho
zoho.com › deluge › help › functions › common › isnull-isblank-isempty-difference.html
Difference between isBlank(), isNull() and isEmpty() functions | Help - Zoho Deluge
Learn about the differences in the output of isBlank(), isNull(), isEmpty() functions when applied in DRE and Creator.
Sumo Logic
sumologic.com › log search › search query language › search operators › isnull, isempty, isblank
isNull, isEmpty, isBlank Search Operators | Sumo Logic Docs
The isNull operator checks a string and returns a boolean value: true if the string is null, or false if the string is not null. The isEmpty operator checks if a string contains no characters and is only whitespace.
Medium
medium.com › @vino7tech › comparison-of-isempty-and-isblank-methods-in-java-with-test-cases-84c54525d73b
Comparison of isEmpty() and isBlank() Methods in Java with Example | by Vinotech | Medium
October 1, 2024 - A string is considered empty if its length is 0. ... In this case, str.isEmpty() returns true because the string is empty (i.e., its length is 0). Null Strings: Calling isEmpty() on a null string will result in a NullPointerException.
BootcampToProd
bootcamptoprod.com › java-string-isempty-vs-isblank
Java String isEmpty vs isBlank: A Detailed Comparison - BootcampToProd
December 16, 2023 - The isEmpty method was introduced in Java 6, and it returns true if and only if the length of the string is zero. The isBlank method was introduced in Java 11, and it returns true if the string is empty or contains only whitespace characters.
Baeldung
baeldung.com › home › java › java string › checking for empty or blank strings in java
Checking for Empty or Blank Strings in Java | Baeldung
January 8, 2024 - We consider a string to be empty if it’s either null or a string without any length. If a string only consists of whitespace, then we call it blank. For Java, whitespaces are characters, like spaces, tabs, and so on. We can check out Character.isWhitespace for examples. If we’re at least on Java 6, then the simplest way to check for an empty string is String#isEmpty:
Stack Abuse
stackabuse.com › java-check-if-string-is-null-empty-or-blank
Java: Check if String is Null, Empty or Blank
February 28, 2023 - One of the key differences between StingUtils and String methods is that all methods from the StringUtils class are null-safe. It additionally provides a few methods that we can leverage for this, including StringUtils.isEmpty() and StringUtils.isBlank(): String nullString = null; if (nullString == null) { System.out.println("String is null"); } else if (StringUtils.isEmpty(nullString)) { System.out.println("String is empty"); } else if (StringUtils.isBlank(nullString)) { System.out.println("String is blank"); } The output will be: String is null ·
Top answer 1 of 5
53
isEmpty()
The java string isEmpty() method checks if this string is empty. It returns true, if the length of the string is 0 otherwise false e.g.
System.out.println("".isEmpty()); // Prints - True
System.out.println(" ".isEmpty()); //Prints - False
Java 11 - isBlank()
The new instance method java.lang.String.isBlank() returns true if the string is empty or contains only white space,
where whitespace is defined as any codepoint that returns true when passed to Character#isWhitespace(int).
boolean blank = string.isBlank();
Before Java 11
boolean blank = string.trim().isEmpty();
After Java 11
boolean blank = string.isBlank();
2 of 5
5
The difference is as below :-
isBlank() returns true for the string having only white space characters whereas isEmpty() will return false for such strings.
("\n\r ").isBlank(); //returns true
("\n\r ").isEmpty(); //returns false
For detailed explanation with Code Example visit : isBlank() vs isEmpty() in String class Java
Java Guides
javaguides.net › 2024 › 01 › string-isempty-vs-isblank-in-java.html
String isEmpty() vs String isBlank() in Java
June 15, 2024 - The isEmpty() and isBlank() methods ... whitespace characters. While isEmpty() checks if the string's length is 0, isBlank() checks if the string is empty or consists only of whitespace characters....
HowToDoInJava
howtodoinjava.com › home › java 11 › java string isblank() – check blank or empty string
Java String isBlank() - Check Blank or Empty String
December 12, 2022 - "ABC".isBlank() //false " ABC ... in java. The difference between both methods is that: isEmpty() method returns true if, and only if, the string length is 0....
Medium
andlyf.medium.com › java-11-isempty-vs-isblank-c33efce677d5
Java 11 — isEmpty() vs isBlank() - Stuti Jain - Medium
March 30, 2021 - String isBlank() is used to test if the string is empty or contains only white space characters. ... String isEmpty() is used to test if the string is empty.
Codemia
codemia.io › knowledge-hub › path › stringutilsisblank_vs_stringisempty
StringUtils.isBlank() vs String.isEmpty()
Enhance your system design skills with over 120 practice problems, detailed solutions, and hands-on exercises
GeeksforGeeks
geeksforgeeks.org › java › java-string-isblank-method
Java String isBlank() Method - GeeksforGeeks
July 23, 2025 - // Java program to use isBlank() with conditional logic public class StringIsBlank { public static void main(String[] args) { // String with spaces String s = " "; // Check if the message is blank if (s.isBlank()) { System.out.println("The message is blank."); } else { System.out.println("Message: " + s); } } } Output · The message is blank. Before Java 11, developers often used isEmpty() or a combination of trim() and isEmpty() to check for blank strings.
softAaiblogs
softaai.com › home › java › understanding isempty() vs isblank() in java: which one should you use?
Understanding isEmpty() vs isBlank() in Java: Which One Should You Use? - softAai Blogs
December 14, 2025 - Java · String s = null; // This is null, not an actual string object. Calling s.isEmpty() or s.isBlank() here would throw a NullPointerException. Empty — it is a valid string object, but its length is zero.
Hashnode
sudarshandoiphode.hashnode.dev › isblank-vs-isempty-which-one-should-you-choose
isBlank() vs. isEmpty() – Which One Should You Choose?
December 10, 2023 - In Java, the isEmpty() method is also a method in the String class. It's used to check whether a string is empty or not. A string is considered empty if its length is 0, meaning it contains no characters. isEmpty() returns true if the length of the string is zero · isEmpty() returns false if the length of the string is not zero · Here is an example of understanding isEmpty() in a simple way : In Summary, isBlank() and isEmpty() are the methods of string class and both are used to check the content of the string.
Codez Up
codezup.com › home › stringutils.isempty() and stringutils.isblank() method in java
StringUtils.isEmpty() and StringUtils.isBlank() Method in Java | Codez Up
May 18, 2021 - Now you have an idea about the scenario where the StringUtils.isBlank() can be used and we can simply say that it is an alternative to the StringUtils.isEmpty() method of Java. If your string only contains whitespaces and you want to treat such types of Strings as an invalid string or empty string, then you can proceed with the StringUtils.isBlank() method. Below is the sample syntax of isBlank() method of Java: ... Below is the example and with the help of this example you can understand it in deeper way. StringUtils.isBlank(null); // returns true StringUtils.isBlank(""); // returnstrue StringUtils.isBlank(" "); // returns true StringUtils.isBlank("bob"); // returns false StringUtils.isBlank(" bob "); // returns false
iO Flood
ioflood.com › blog › stringutils-isempty
StringUtils.isEmpty() in Java: Your Method Guide
March 27, 2024 - StringUtils.isEmpty, on the other hand, is null-safe and can handle both empty and null strings gracefully. Therefore, it’s generally recommended to use StringUtils.isEmpty when checking if a string is empty or null in Java.