Bitwise operators act on operands as if they were strings of binary digits. They operate bit by bit, hence the name.
For example, 2 is 10 in binary and 7 is 111.
In the table below: Let x = 10 (0000 1010 in binary) and y = 4 (0000 0100 in binary)
| Operator | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| & | Bitwise AND | x & y = 0 (0000 0000 in binary) |
| Bitwise OR | ||
| ^ | Bitwise XOR | x ^ y = 14 (0000 1110 in binary) |
| ~ | Bitwise NOT | ~x = -11 (1111 0101 in binary) |
| << | Shift left | x << 2 = 40 (0010 1000 in binary) |
| >> | Shift right | x >> 2 = 2 (0000 0010 in binary) |
| >>> | Shift right with zero fill | x >>> 2 = 2 (0000 0010 in binary) |