How To Implement equals Correctly

A detailed guide on correctly implementing the `equals` method in Java. Covers the distinction between identity (reference equality via `==`) and equality (value equality via `equals`), the formal equals contract (reflexivity, symmetry, transitivity, consistency, null handling), and a step-by-step breakdown of a correct implementation including signature, self-check, null check, type check (getClass vs instanceof trade-offs), and field comparison using `Objects.equals`. Also recommends EqualsVerifier for testing.