Written by the Fiveable Content Team โข Last updated September 2025
Verified for the 2026 exam
Verified for the 2026 examโขWritten by the Fiveable Content Team โข Last updated September 2025
Definition
Private variables are variables that can only be accessed and modified within the same class they are declared in. They provide encapsulation and help maintain data integrity by preventing direct access from other classes.
Related terms
Public Variables: Public variables are accessible from any class and can be read or modified directly without restrictions.
Getters and Setters: Getters and setters are methods used to access and modify private variables indirectly, providing controlled access to the data.
Encapsulation is a concept in object-oriented programming that bundles data (variables) and methods (functions) together within a class, hiding internal details from outside classes.