How do I properly shut down an ExecutorService in Java?

How do I properly shut down an ExecutorService in Java?

To shut down an ExecutorService, you can use the shutdown() method to stop accepting new tasks and finish existing ones.

What happens if I use shutdownNow() instead?

shutdownNow() attempts to stop all actively executing tasks and returns a list of the tasks that were waiting to be executed.

Is there a difference in how they handle running tasks?

Yes, shutdown() allows running tasks to complete, while shutdownNow() interrupts them.

When should I use one over the other?

Use shutdown() when you want to gracefully finish tasks, and shutdownNow() when you need to stop tasks immediately.