What is Data Hiding?

Data hiding is a fundamental concept in the object oriented programming.

In layman’s terms, data hiding refers to the concept of hiding the inner structure of a class. An interface is provided through which the outside world can interact with the class without knowing its internal details.

Our goal is to make the interaction between different classes as simple as possible. This can only be achieved if the interfaces of the classes are simple. One class does not need to know anything about the underlying algorithms of another class. However, the two can still communicate.

Real Life Example

Let’s apply this to a real-world scenario. Take the doctor-patient model. In case of an illness, the patient consults the doctor, after which he or she is prescribed the appropriate medicine.

The patient only knows the process of going to the doctor. The logic and reasoning behind the doctor’s prescription of a certain medicine are unknown to the patient. A patient will not understand the medical details the doctor uses to reach his/her decision on the treatment.

This is a classic example of the patient class interacting with the doctor class without knowing the inner workings of the doctor class.