Main Method Reserved

ID

java.main_method_reserved

Severity

info

Remediation Complexity

medium

Remediation Risk

low

Remediation Effort

medium

Resource

Code Smell

Language

Java

Tags

code-style

Description

Reports methods named main whose signature does not match the standard entry-point signature public static void main(String[]).

Rationale

The name main is reserved by convention for the application entry point. Using it for a non-standard method confuses IDEs, build tools, and container launchers that look for the canonical signature. It also misleads developers who expect main to be the program’s starting point.

// Bad -- non-standard main methods
public static void main() { }          // no parameter
public static int main(String[] args) { return 0; }  // wrong return type
public void main(String[] args) { }    // not static

Remediation

Rename the method to avoid confusion with the standard entry point:

// Good -- use a descriptive name instead
public static void launch() { }
public static int run(String[] args) { return 0; }
public void start(String[] args) { }

References