What is Encapsulation?

Encapsulation is one of the four fundamental concepts of object-oriented programming (OOP). In Java, encapsulation refers to the practice of keeping the internal details of a class hidden from the outside world. This means that the members of a class are protected from external access and manipulation, making the class more secure and stable.

How Encapsulation is achieved?

Encapsulation is achieved in Java through the use of access modifiers. Access modifiers are keywords that control the visibility of class members. There are three main access modifiers in Java: public, private, and protected.

• Public: A member declared public can be accessed from anywhere.

• Private: A member declared private can only be accessed within the same class.

• Protected: A member declared protected can be accessed within the same class and any subclass.

Example of an Encapsulation

// fields to calculate area
class Area {

int length;
int breadth;

// constructor to initialize values
Area(int length, int breadth) {
    this.length = length;
    this.breadth = breadth;
}

// method to calculate area
public void getArea() {
    int area = length * breadth;
    System.out.println("Area: " + area);
}
}

class Main {
public static void main(String[] args) {

    Area rectangle = new Area(2, 16);
    rectangle.getArea();
}
}

How do we use access modifiers for encapsulation?

Using access modifiers in combination with getter and setter methods, you can achieve complete encapsulation in Java. Getter methods are used to access the value of private variables, while setter methods are used to change their value. This way, you can control the access and manipulation of class members from the outside world.

Advantages of Encapsulation.

1. improved security: Encapsulation helps to secure the internal data of a class from unauthorized access and manipulation.

2. Improved maintainability: Encapsulation makes the code more maintainable by ensuring that changes made to the internal details of a class do not affect the outside world.

3. Better abstraction: Encapsulation promotes abstraction by hiding the implementation details of a class and exposing only the necessary information to the outside world.

4. Enhanced code reusability: Encapsulation makes it easier to reuse code as you can use the same class in multiple applications without having to worry about internal details.

Conclusion

In conclusion, encapsulation is a fundamental concept of OOP that helps to improve the security, maintainability, and reusability of Java code. By using access modifiers and getter and setter methods, you can control the access and manipulation of class members from the outside world, making your code more secure and stable.