What are the best practices for composition vs inheritance in programming?

What are the best practices for composition vs inheritance in programming?

In programming, composition and inheritance are two fundamental concepts for code reuse. Best practices suggest using composition over inheritance when possible, as it leads to more flexible and maintainable code.

Can you explain why composition is often preferred?

Composition allows for greater flexibility since you can change behavior at runtime by composing different objects. It also avoids the pitfalls of deep inheritance hierarchies, which can make code harder to understand and maintain.

What are some examples of composition in real-world applications?

A common example of composition is using interfaces in Java. For instance, a 'Car' class can compose various behaviors like 'Engine' and 'Wheels' without inheriting from them, allowing for more modular design.

Are there situations where inheritance is still useful?

Yes, inheritance can be useful when there is a clear 'is-a' relationship, such as a 'Dog' class inheriting from an 'Animal' class. It can simplify code when shared behavior is needed across multiple subclasses.