What are the main characteristics of the equals method in Java?

The equals method in Java is used to compare objects for logical equality. Main characteristics:

• Symmetry: a.equals(b) should be equal to b.equals(a).
• Reflexivity: an object should be equal to itself (a.equals(a) returns true).
• Transitivity: if a.equals(b) and b.equals(c) then a.equals(c).
• Consistency: multiple calls to equals with the same objects should return the same result.
• Inequality with null: a.equals(null) always returns false.

Example of overriding the equals method:

@Override
public boolean equals(Object obj) {
    if (this == obj) return true;
    if (obj == null || getClass() != obj.getClass()) return false;
    MyClass other = (MyClass) obj;
    return Objects.equals(field1, other.field1) && field2 == other.field2;
}