They are entirely different constructs. A HashMap
is an implementation of Map
. A Map maps keys to values. The key look up occurs using the hash.
On the other hand, a HashSet
is an implementation of Set
. A Set is designed to match the mathematical model of a set. A HashSet
does use a HashMap
to back its implementation, as you noted. However, it implements an entirely different interface.
HashMap:
http://www.pakzilla.com/2009/08/24/hashmap-vs-hashtable-vs-hashset/