The Java Coding Guidelines is organized into an introductory chapter and 75 guidelines organized into five additional chapters organized around the following principles:
- Security
- Defensive Programming
- Best Practices
- Program Understandability
- Programmer Misconceptions
There is a glossary of common terms and a reference list.
Guidelines have a consistent structure. The title and the introductory paragraphs define the essence of the guideline. This is typically followed by one or more pairs of noncompliant code examples and corresponding compliant solutions. Each guideline also includes an applicability section and bibliographical references specific to that guideline.