ClassLoader confusion

Question

I have seen several places that "Class.getClassLoader() returns the ClassLoader used to load that particular class", and therefore, I am stumped by the results of the following example:

package test;

import java.lang.*;

public class ClassLoaders { 
    public static void main(String[] args) throws java.lang.ClassNotFoundException{
      MyClassLoader mcl = new MyClassLoader();
      Class clazz = mcl.loadClass("test.FooBar");
      System.out.println(clazz.getClassLoader() == mcl); // prints false
      System.out.println(clazz.getClassLoader()); // prints e.g. sun.misc.Launcher$AppClassLoader@553f5d07
    }
}

class FooBar { }

class MyClassLoader extends ClassLoader { }

Shouldn't the statement clazz.getClassLoader() == mcl return true? Can someone explain what I am missing here?

Thanks.

Answer 1

Whenever you create your own classloader it will be attached in a tree-like hierarchy of classloaders. To load a class a classloader first delegates the loading to its parent. Only once all the parents didn't find the class the loader that was first asked to load a class will try to load it.

In your specific case the loading is delegated to the parent classloader. Although you ask you MyClassLoader to load it, it is the parent that does the loading. In this case it is the AppClassLoader.