在Java中，守护线程是一种不阻止Java虚拟机(JVM)退出的线程类型。 守护线程的主要目的是执行后台任务，特别是一些例行的周期性任务或工作。JVM退出时，守护进程线程也会死亡。

通过设置thread. setdaemon (true)，线程变成守护线程。但是，您只能在线程启动之前设置这个值。

当最后一个非守护进程线程执行完成时，JVM将完成这项工作。默认情况下，JVM将创建一个线程作为非守护进程，但我们可以通过setDaemon(true)方法将线程创建为守护进程。Daemon线程的一个很好的例子是GC线程，它将在所有非Daemon线程完成后立即完成它的工作。

Daemon threads are those threads which provide general services for user threads (Example : clean up services - garbage collector) Daemon threads are running all the time until kill by the JVM Daemon Threads are treated differently than User Thread when JVM terminates , finally blocks are not called JVM just exits JVM doesn't terminates unless all the user threads terminate. JVM terminates if all user threads are dies JVM doesn't wait for any daemon thread to finish before existing and finally blocks are not called If all user threads dies JVM kills all the daemon threads before stops When all user threads have terminated, daemon threads can also be terminated and the main program terminates setDaemon() method must be called before the thread's start() method is invoked Once a thread has started executing its daemon status cannot be changed To determine if a thread is a daemon thread, use the accessor method isDaemon()

以上答案都是好的。下面是一个简单的小代码片段，以说明两者的区别。在setDaemon中分别尝试true和false值。

public class DaemonTest {
    
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        new WorkerThread().start();

        try {
            Thread.sleep(7500);
        } catch (InterruptedException e) {
            // handle here exception
        }

        System.out.println("Main Thread ending") ;
    }

}

class WorkerThread extends Thread {
    
    public WorkerThread() {
        // When false, (i.e. when it's a non daemon thread),
        // the WorkerThread continues to run.
        // When true, (i.e. when it's a daemon thread),
        // the WorkerThread terminates when the main 
        // thread or/and user defined thread(non daemon) terminates.
        setDaemon(true); 
    }
    
    public void run() {
        int count = 0;

        while (true) {
            System.out.println("Hello from Worker "+count++);

            try {
                sleep(5000);
            } catch (InterruptedException e) {
                // handle exception here
            }
        }
    }
}

我想澄清一个误解:

Assume that if daemon thread (say B) is created within user thread (say A); then ending of this user thread/parent thread (A) will not end the daemon thread/child thread (B) it has created; provided user thread is the only one currently running. So there is no parent-child relationship on thread ending. All daemon threads (irrespective of where it is created) will end once there is no single live user thread and that causes JVM to terminate. Even this is true for both (parent/child) are daemon threads. If a child thread created from a daemon thread then that is also a daemon thread. This won't need any explicit daemon thread flag setting. Similarly if a child thread created from a user thread then that is also a user thread, if you want to change it, then explicit daemon flag setting is needed before start of that child thread.

Daemon thread is like daemon process which is responsible for managing resources,a daemon thread is created by the Java VM to serve the user threads. example updating system for unix,unix is daemon process. child of daemon thread is always daemon thread,so by default daemon is false.you can check thread as daemon or user by using "isDaemon()" method. so daemon thread or daemon process are basically responsible for managing resources. for example when you starting jvm there is garbage collector running that is daemon thread whose priority is 1 that is lowest,which is managing memory. jvm is alive as long as user thread is alive,u can not kill daemon thread.jvm is responsible to kill daemon threads.