---
title: "Explain the difference between composition and inheritance in OOP."  
description: "Explain the difference between composition and inheritance in OOP."  
author: "Steilla Mitchel"  
published: 2023-06-21  
updated: 2023-06-25  
canonical: https://www.mindstick.com/forum/158820/explain-the-difference-between-composition-and-inheritance-in-oop  
category: "oops"  
tags: ["oops", "inheritance", "programming language"]  
reading_time: 3 minutes  

---

# Explain the difference between composition and inheritance in OOP.

[Explain](https://www.mindstick.com/forum/157854/what-is-system-debugging-explain-some-system-debugging-tools-used-in-modern-computer-systems) the [difference between composition](https://answers.mindstick.com/qa/113661/what-is-the-difference-between-composition-and-inheritance-in-oop) and [inheritance](https://www.mindstick.com/articles/13095/inheritance-and-its-types) in OOP.

## Replies

### Reply by Aryan Kumar

Sure. [Composition](https://yourviews.mindstick.com/audio/1187/gre-graduate-record-examination-its-pattern-composition) and inheritance are two important concepts in object-oriented programming (OOP). They are both ways of reusing code, but they do so in different ways.

**Inheritance** is a mechanism that allows a class to inherit properties and behaviors from another class. This means that the subclass can use the methods and variables of the superclass, without having to reimplement them. For example, a `Car` class might inherit from a `Vehicle` class. This would mean that the `Car` class would have all of the methods and variables of the `Vehicle` class, such as `start()`, `stop()`, and `turn()`.

**Composition** is a mechanism that allows a class to contain instances of other classes. This means that the class can use the methods and variables of the other classes, without having to inherit them. For example, a `Car` class might contain an instance of a `Engine` class. This would mean that the `Car` class could use the methods and variables of the `Engine` class, such as `start()` and `stop()`.

The main [difference](https://www.mindstick.com/articles/157114/good-news-or-bad-news-and-the-difference-is) between inheritance and composition is that inheritance is a **hierarchical** relationship, while composition is an **aggregation** relationship. This means that in inheritance, the subclass is a subtype of the superclass. In composition, the class that contains the other class is not a subtype of the class that is contained.

Here is a table that summarizes the differences between inheritance and composition:

| Feature | Inheritance | Composition |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Relationship | Hierarchical | Aggregation |
| Subtype | Yes | No |
| Reusability | Reuse code by inheriting methods and variables | Reuse code by containing instances of other classes |
| Flexibility | Less flexible | More flexible |
| Coupling | Tighter coupling | Looser coupling |

Inheritance is a powerful tool, but it can also be overused. If you use inheritance too much, your code can become difficult to understand and maintain. Composition is a good way to avoid this problem. It is more flexible than inheritance, and it can lead to more loosely coupled code.

In general, you should use inheritance when you want to reuse code that has a hierarchical relationship. You should use composition when you want to reuse code that has an aggregation relationship.

Here are some examples of where inheritance and composition might be used:

## Inheritance:

- A `Car` class might inherit from a `Vehicle` class.
- A `Dog` class might inherit from an `Animal` class.
- A `Circle` class might inherit from a `Shape` class.

## Composition:

- A `Car` class might contain an instance of an `Engine` class.
- A `Person` class might contain an instance of a `Wallet` class.
- A `Webpage` class might contain an instance of a `HTML` class.


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Original Source: https://www.mindstick.com/forum/158820/explain-the-difference-between-composition-and-inheritance-in-oop

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