Understanding Object-Oriented Programming (OOP) in Java ( Abstraction | Encapsulation | Inheritance | Polymorphism )

 2. Encapsulation

Encapsulation is one of the fundamental concepts of object-oriented programming (OOP) in Java. It is a mechanism that enables us to hide the implementation details of a class from the outside world and provide a controlled way of accessing its members. Encapsulation ensures data security, improves code maintainability, and reduces the complexity of the code. In this article, we will explore encapsulation in Java and how it can be implemented in practice

What is Encapsulation?

Encapsulation is the process of bundling data and methods that manipulate that data within a single unit, such as a class. This is done to restrict direct access to the data, and instead, provide access through public methods. These methods are known as getter and setter methods.

In other words, encapsulation provides a protective shield around the data and methods of a class. This prevents the outside world from accessing and modifying the data directly, which could lead to unintended side effects. Instead, the outside world can interact with the class only through its public methods, which provide a controlled way of accessing the class members.

Benefits of Encapsulation

Encapsulation offers several benefits, including:

1. Data Security: Encapsulation prevents unauthorized access to the data of a class, which ensures data security. This is important in applications that deal with sensitive information, such as financial data.
   
   
2. Improved Code Maintainability: Encapsulation improves code maintainability by making it easier to modify the internal implementation of a class without affecting the code that uses the class. This is because the outside world only interacts with the class through its public methods, and not its internal implementation.
   
   
3. Reduced Complexity: Encapsulation reduces the complexity of the code by hiding the implementation details of a class from the outside world. This makes it easier to understand and use the class.

Let's look at an example to see how encapsulation can be implemented in Java:

In this example, we have a BankAccount class that has a private member called balance. We have provided public getter and setter methods to access and modify the balance. The getter method returns the value of the balance, while the setter method sets the value of the balance.

Conclusion

Encapsulation is an important concept in Java that provides data security, improves code maintainability, and reduces the complexity of the code. It is implemented using access modifiers and getter and setter methods. By encapsulating the data.

Next will learn Inheritance in Java. 

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