Android – Difference between getContext() , getApplicationContext() , getBaseContext() and “this”

androidandroid-contextthis

What is the difference between getContext() , getApplicationContext() , getBaseContext() , and "this"?

Though this is simple question I am unable to understand the basic difference between them. Please give some easy examples if possible.

Best Answer

  • View.getContext(): Returns the context the view is currently running in. Usually the currently active Activity.

  • Activity.getApplicationContext(): Returns the context for the entire application (the process all the Activities are running inside of). Use this instead of the current Activity context if you need a context tied to the lifecycle of the entire application, not just the current Activity.

  • ContextWrapper.getBaseContext(): If you need access to a Context from within another context, you use a ContextWrapper. The Context referred to from inside that ContextWrapper is accessed via getBaseContext().