Encapsulation in OOP 🔒

What is Encapsulation? 🤔

Encapsulation is the process of bundling data (variables) and methods (functions) that operate on the data into a single unit (class). It helps in restricting direct access to some details and only exposing the necessary parts of an object.

Real-Life Example 🌍:

Think of a capsule pill 💊. The medicine inside is protected and can only be accessed in a controlled way. Similarly, in OOP, we hide certain data and provide controlled access via methods.

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How Encapsulation Works? ⚙️

Encapsulation is implemented using access modifiers:

• private → Accessible only within the class.
• public → Accessible from anywhere.
• protected → Accessible within the same package or subclasses.

Example in Java 📌:

class BankAccount {
    private double balance; // Private variable

    // Constructor
    public BankAccount(double initialBalance) {
        this.balance = initialBalance;
    }

    // Public method to access private variable
    public double getBalance() {
        return balance;
    }

    // Public method to modify private variable
    public void deposit(double amount) {
        if (amount > 0) {
            balance += amount;
            System.out.println("Deposited: " + amount);
        } else {
            System.out.println("Invalid deposit amount");
        }
    }
}

public class Main {
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        BankAccount myAccount = new BankAccount(1000);
        myAccount.deposit(500);
        System.out.println("Balance: " + myAccount.getBalance());
    }
}

Output:

Deposited: 500
Balance: 1500

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Why Use Encapsulation? 🤔

✅ Data Protection: Prevents unauthorized modifications.
✅ Code Maintainability: Hides complex details and allows controlled access.
✅ Modularity: Makes the code cleaner and more organized.

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Key Differences: Encapsulation vs Data Hiding 🆚

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Conclusion 🎯

Encapsulation is a fundamental OOP principle that ensures data security, modularity, and maintainability. It allows us to control access to an object's properties, making software more robust and scalable. 🚀

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💬 Have you used encapsulation in your projects? Share your thoughts below!