5.4 Accessor Methods

Encapsulation is a foundational principle of object-oriented programming that ensures the internal details of an object are hidden from the outside world, allowing only the essential features to be accessed. This approach protects the integrity of an object by controlling how its data is accessed or modified. Accessor methods, also known as getters, are a key tool in achieving encapsulation. They provide a controlled way to retrieve the values of private fields without exposing those fields directly.