Abstraction

Abstraction is a process of hiding the implementation details and showing only the functionality to the user. It helps in reducing complexity and allows focusing on what an object does instead of how it does it.

How Abstraction Works

Abstraction is implemented using abstract classes and interfaces:

abstract class Animal {
    // Abstract method
    public abstract void makeSound();
    
    // Regular method
    public void sleep() {
        System.out.println("Sleeping");
    }
}

class Dog extends Animal {
    @Override
    public void makeSound() {
        System.out.println("Bark");
    }
}

public class Main {
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        Dog myDog = new Dog();
        myDog.makeSound(); // Outputs: Bark
        myDog.sleep(); // Outputs: Sleeping
    }
}
      

In this example, Animal is an abstract class with an abstract method makeSound. The Dog class extends Animal and provides the implementation for the makeSound method.

Interfaces

An interface is another way to achieve abstraction in Java:

interface Animal {
    public void makeSound();
}

class Cat implements Animal {
    @Override
    public void makeSound() {
        System.out.println("Meow");
    }
}

public class Main {
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        Cat myCat = new Cat();
        myCat.makeSound(); // Outputs: Meow
    }
}
      

In this example, Animal is an interface with a method makeSound. The Cat class implements the Animal interface and provides the implementation for the makeSound method.

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