What is the difference between public, protected, and private access modifiers?

Can you explain the difference between public, protected, and private access modifiers?

Sure! In programming, access modifiers control the visibility of class members. Public members are accessible from anywhere, protected members are accessible within the class and its subclasses, and private members are only accessible within the class itself.

Can you give me an example of each?

Of course! For a public member, you might have a method that can be called from any other class. A protected member could be a method that is only accessible in the class and its subclasses. A private member would be a variable that can only be accessed within the class.

Why would I use protected instead of private?

Using protected allows subclasses to access and modify the member, which can be useful for inheritance. Private keeps it strictly within the class, enhancing encapsulation.

Are there any languages that don't use these modifiers?

Yes, some languages like JavaScript do not have traditional access modifiers. Instead, they use conventions or newer features like private class fields.