In the context of classes, what does encapsulation refer to?

Encapsulation in the context of classes refers to the practice of hiding the implementation details of an object. This concept ensures that an object's internal state is protected from unauthorized access and modification by restricting direct access to some of its components. By using encapsulation, a class can expose only the necessary parts of its implementation through public methods, while the underlying data remains private.

This approach allows for greater control over how the data within an object is accessed and modified, promoting maintainability and reducing the risk of unintended interference. When an object’s internal workings are hidden, the user of the class does not need to understand how it operates internally, which can simplify the usage and integration of the object into larger systems. This abstraction is a fundamental principle of object-oriented programming, leading to cleaner, more reliable code.