C Structs vs. Classes: What's the Real Difference?

Demystifying C/C Structs and Classes: Unraveling the Differences

While C 's structs and classes may seem indistinguishable at a glance, a closer examination reveals subtle yet significant distinctions. Understanding these nuances becomes crucial when venturing into the realm of C.

Struct vs. Class in C

In C, structs are merely collections of public data members. Unlike C , structs in C lack essential OOP features such as methods, constructors, or base classes. In essence, they serve as simple data containers with no inherent class-like behavior.

Inheritance and Modifiers in C

C does not support struct inheritance or the use of public/private access modifiers. As a result, all struct members are inherently public, limiting encapsulation and control over data visibility.

The Necessity of C

C emerged as the successor to C, introducing object-oriented programming concepts like encapsulation, polymorphism, and inheritance. These features enable the creation of more structured and maintainable code. Classes in C provide a formal way to define data structures with controlled access modifiers, facilitating information hiding and promoting better code organization.

Class vs. Struct in C

The key distinction between structs and classes in C lies in their default access modifiers. While classes default to private for member variables, methods, and base classes, structs default to public. This difference allows for finer control over data access and encapsulation in classes, making them the preferred choice for implementing complex data structures and objects.

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