Runtime Reflection
Runtime reflection is a programming language feature that enables a program to inspect and modify its own structure and behavior at runtime. It allows code to examine objects, classes, methods, and other elements dynamically, without prior knowledge of their types or definitions. This capability is commonly used for tasks like serialization, dependency injection, debugging, and building frameworks that require flexible object manipulation.
Developers should learn runtime reflection when building applications that require dynamic behavior, such as frameworks for object-relational mapping (ORM), serialization libraries, or dependency injection containers. It is essential in scenarios where code needs to adapt to unknown types at runtime, like in plugin architectures or when implementing generic data processing tools. However, it should be used judiciously due to potential performance overhead and reduced type safety compared to compile-time alternatives.