Equality is a relationship between two or more items or variables or objects that exists if (1) the items are the same item, variable, or object or (2) the items are different items, variables or objects but they have the same value. This tag should generally be used with programming language specific tags as well as other contextual tags such as database system. The post should include as much context about the equality test as is possible.
This tag is typically used for questions concerning how to determine if two objects or variables are either the same object or different objects with the same value. Questions almost always require a programming language tag and other tags for context.
Programming languages represent variables, objects, or other storage containers using different underlying mechanisms for the storage of the values of variables and objects. A test for equality is to compare some characteristic of two variables or objects to determine if the characteristic is the same.
This characteristic is typically either (1) the storage identifier such as a reference handle, memory address, etc. when checking if the two are the same object or (2) the characteristic is the value of the objects retrieved using a storage identifier when checking if the value of the two are the same value.
Different programming languages and different operating environments have differences in how equality is tested and what operators are used to express a test for equality. In some cases various conversions from underlying storage representations may be involved in testing for equality.
See What is the difference between equality and equivalence? as well as Equivalence relation and natural ordering on a class in Java
