What is the purpose of the StringBuffer class in Java?

The StringBuffer class in Java provides a means of creating and manipulating strings. Strings are immutable in Java, meaning that once they are created, their contents cannot be changed. The StringBuffer class, on the other hand, allows you to modify the contents of a string without creating a new one each time.

The StringBuffer class is similar to the String class, but it has several methods for manipulating the contents of the string. For example, you can use the append() method to add characters to the end of the string, or the insert() method to insert characters at a specific position.

The StringBuffer class is thread-safe, meaning that it can be used in multithreaded applications without causing problems. This is because the class has synchronized methods that prevent multiple threads from accessing the string buffer at the same time.

Overall, the StringBuffer class in Java is useful for situations where you need to manipulate strings frequently, and where thread safety is a concern.