Java OutputStream: Purpose & Uses

OutputStream is an abstract class that is used to write byte data to an output stream. It is the superclass of all output stream classes and defines basic methods for writing data to a byte stream. By using OutputStream, data can be written to files, network connections, pipes, and other output streams.

The main function of an OutputStream is to write data from memory to an output device or network for data output operations. In Java, commonly used subclasses of OutputStream include FileOutputStream (for writing data to files), BufferedOutputStream (with buffered output stream, to improve write performance), DataOutputStream (for writing Java primitive data types to output streams), and others. Through these subclasses, data output operations can be implemented in different scenarios.