What is the real difference between a C# static constructor and a Java static block?
They both must be parameterless. They are both called only once, when the related class is first used.
Am I missing something, or are they the same thing, just with different names?
Yes They are equivalent Another point is java does not support static constructor but support static block and c# support static constructor.
They look the same, the following example shows, that c# static constructor works the same as static block in java
They are not.
In C#, there blocks can only hold constructors. In java you are able to execute statements.
They are equivalent, except that a C# class can only have one static constructor (plus static field initializers).
Also, in C#, a
static
constructor will apply thebeforefieldinit
flag.