Data Encapsulation
Data encapsulation is a fundamental object-oriented programming (OOP) principle that bundles data (attributes) and methods (functions) that operate on that data into a single unit, typically a class, while restricting direct access to some of the object's components. It hides the internal state of an object and only exposes a controlled interface, promoting data integrity and modularity. This concept is central to achieving abstraction and information hiding in software design.
Developers should learn and apply data encapsulation to build robust, maintainable, and secure software systems, as it prevents unintended interference and misuse of data by external code. It is essential in scenarios like financial applications where data consistency is critical, or in large-scale projects where multiple teams work on different modules to reduce dependencies and errors. By enforcing access through getters and setters, it allows for validation, logging, and future modifications without breaking existing code.