What is SharedFlow and how does it differ from StateFlow?

SharedFlow is a data stream from coroutines that broadcasts values to multiple subscribers (a "hot" stream).

StateFlow is a variation of SharedFlow that represents a state stream. It always has an initial value and emits the last known value to new subscribers.

Main differences:

Characteristic	SharedFlow	StateFlow
Initial value	None by default, can be set with replay	Always has a mandatory initial value
Replaying values for new subscribers	Managed by the replay parameter	Always replays the last value
Buffer size	Buffer size set by extraBufferCapacity	Buffer size is 0 (except for the last value)
Emission of identical values	Emits all values, even if they are identical	Does not emit consecutive identical values (if they are equal by .equals())
Use case	Events, data streams	UI states or other current states