What Are Access Modifiers

: These public, protected and private, these can be applied to class, variables,

constructors and methods. But if you don�t specify an access modifier then it is

considered as Friendly.

In Core Java, access modifiers are keywords that determine the visibility or accessibility of classes, methods, and fields in a Java program. There are four main access modifiers in Java:

  1. Public: A member (class, method, or field) with the public modifier is accessible from any other class.
  2. Protected: Members declared as protected are accessible within the same package and by subclasses in other packages.
  3. Default (Package-Private): If no access modifier is specified (i.e., no public, protected, or private keyword is used), then the member has default access. It is visible only within its own package.
  4. Private: A member with the private modifier is only accessible within the same class.

Here’s a brief summary:

  • Public: Accessible from anywhere.
  • Protected: Accessible within the same package and by subclasses.
  • Default (Package-Private): Accessible only within the same package.
  • Private: Accessible only within the same class.

It’s important to note that these access modifiers provide a way to control the encapsulation and visibility of members in a Java program, helping to enforce proper encapsulation and maintainability.