Difference between While and Do-While Loop

Vikram Singh
Assist ant Manager - Cont ent
Updated on Sep 16, 2024 11:56 IST
The most important difference between while and do-while loops is that While loops
check the condition before executing the loop body, potentially skipping it entirely if
the condition is initially false. Do-while loops execute the loop body once before
checking the condition, guaranteeing at least one execution regardless of the
condition. Keep scrolling to understand the difference between while and do-while
loop in detail.

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Table of Content
Dif f erence between While and Do-While

What is a While Loop?

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 What is a Do-While Loop?

Key dif f erences and Similarities between While and Do-While

Difference Between While and Do-While

Let's understand the key difference between while and do-while:

Execution guarantee: Do-while guarantees at least one execution

of the loop body, while a while loop may not execute at all.
Condition placement: While checks bef ore executing, do-while
checks af ter executing.

Use cases:
While is better when you might not want to execute the loop at all
based on the initial condition.

Do-while is usef ul when you always want to execute the loop at

least once.

Syntax: Do-while requires a semicolon af ter the condition, while

doesn't.
Let's go through this tabular comparison between them to understand it better:

Aspect While Loop Do-While Loop

Condition Check Beginning End
Minimum
0 1
Executions

Syntax (C-style) do { ... } while

while (condition) { ... }
(condition);

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 Aspect While Loop Do-While Loop
Variables are initialised Variables may initialise
Variable
bef ore the execution bef ore or within the
Initialization
of the loop. loop.
Exit Control Pre-test Post-test
Execution
No guarantee At least once
Guarantee
Required af ter
Semicolon Not required af ter }
condition
Can be within the loop
Initialization Bef ore loop
body
When you need to When you want to
Use Case check the condition ensure at least one
bef ore any execution execution
Checking if a f ile
Getting user input at
Example Scenario exists bef ore
least once
processing

What is a While Loop?

Def inition: While Loop is an entry-controlled loop that evaluates the condition
before executing the body of the Loop, the body of the Loop will be executed only if
the condition is True.

Once the body of the Loop gets executed, control again goes back
to the beginning and then checks the condition.
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Read Also: Loops in Java

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Syntax
while (boolean condition)
{
loop statements…
}

Working of While Loop

Initialization of Control Variable
Condition Check

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Read Also: For Loop in C++

Example
Using while Loop, print the f irst ten positive integers.
Code in C Programming Language

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 Copy code

#include < stdio.h>

int main() {
int number = 1; // initializing the variable with value 1
while (number < = 10) { // while loop with condition
printf("%d\n", number);
number++; // incrementing operation
}
return 0;
}

Output
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10

What is a Do-While Loop?

Def inition: A do-while Loop is an exit-controlled loop that evaluates the condition
after the execution of the body.

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 The body of the Loop is always executed (at least once)

Once the body is executed, then it checks the condition:

Syntax
do
{
statements….
}
while (condition);
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Working of Do-While Loop

Initialization of control variable
Loop Body gets executed f irst; then, the condition is evaluated

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Example
Print the table of 5 in C Programming Language

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 Copy code

#include < stdio.h> // Include the standard I/O library header

int main() {
int num = 1; // Initializing the variable with value 1
do {
printf("%d\n", 5 * num);
num++; // Incrementing operation
} while (num < = 10);
return 0;
}

Output
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
45
50

Key Differences and Similarities between While and

Do-While Loops:
While Loop is an “Entry Controlled Loop,” whereas Do-While Loop is
an “Exit Controlled Loop.”

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 Do-while Loop uses a semicolon in the syntax, whereas While Loop
does not use a semicolon.

While Loop evaluates the condition f irst and then executes the
statement, whereas Do-While f irst executes the statements and then
evaluates the condition
If the condition in a while loop is f alse, then not a single statement
inside the Loop will be executed, whereas in a do-while Loop, if the
condition is f alse, then the body of the Loop is executed at least
once.
In the While loop, the condition statement is at the beginning,
whereas the Do-While loop condition statement is at the end of the
Loop.

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Conclusion
The body of a while loop is executed after the given condition is evaluated, whereas
in a do-while loop, the loop body is executed, and then the given condition is
checked. In this article, we have briefly discussed the difference between a while and
a do-while loop with examples.

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FAQs

When should I use a while loop instead of a do-while loop?

What's the main advantage of a do-while loop over a while loop?

In terms of perf ormance, is there a signif icant dif f erence between

while and do-while loops?

Can a do-while loop execute zero times?

In what scenario would you pref er to use a do-while loop over a while
loop?

Describe a real-world programming scenario where a do-while loop

would be more appropriate than a while loop.

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