What is the difference between private and protected access modifiers in Java?

What is the difference between private and protected access modifiers in Java?

In Java, 'private' means the member is accessible only within its own class, while 'protected' allows access in subclasses and classes in the same package.

Can you give me an example of each?

Sure! For 'private', if you have a class A with a private variable, it can't be accessed from class B. For 'protected', if class B extends class A, it can access the protected members of A.

What happens if I try to access a private member from a subclass?

If you try to access a private member from a subclass, you'll get a compilation error because private members are not visible outside their own class.

Are there any scenarios where I should prefer protected over private?

Yes, use 'protected' when you want to allow subclasses to access certain members while still restricting access from other classes.