There are two types of modifiers in Java: access modifiers and non-access modifiers.
The access modifiers in Java specifies the accessibility or scope of a field, method, constructor, or class. We can change the access level of fields, constructors, methods, and class by applying the access modifier on it.
There are four types of Java access modifiers:
- Private: The access level of a private modifier is only within the class. It cannot be accessed from outside the class.
- Default: The access level of a default modifier is only within the package. It cannot be accessed from outside the package. If you do not specify any access level, it will be the default.
- Protected: The access level of a protected modifier is within the package and outside the package through child class. If you do not make the child class, it cannot be accessed from outside the package.
- Public: The access level of a public modifier is everywhere. It can be accessed from within the class, outside the class, within the package and outside the package.
There are many non-access modifiers, such as static, abstract, synchronized, native, volatile, transient, etc. Here, we are going to learn the access modifiers only.
| Access Modifier | within class | within package | outside package by subclass only | outside package |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Private | Y | N | N | N |
| Default | Y | Y | N | N |
| Protected | Y | Y | Y | N |
| Public | Y | Y | Y | Y |