Delegation

Note that the class loader hierarchy is not a Java inheritance hierarchy, but a delegation hierarchy. In the delegation design, a class loader delegates class loading to its parent before attempting to load a class itself. If the parent class loader cannot load a class, the class loader attempts to load the class itself. In effect, a class loader is responsible for loading only the classes not available to the parent. Classes loaded by a class loader higher in the hierarchy cannot refer to classes available lower in the hierarchy.