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Describe the difference between abstract classes and interfaces in C#.

Gautam Ramesh17802-Jul-2023

Describe the difference between abstract classes and interfaces in C#.

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Updated on 04-Jul-2023
Gautam Ramesh

Gautam Ramesh

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I am Gautam Ramesh from Uttar Pradesh. Have completed my B. Tech. course from MNNIT campus Prayagraj in 2022. I have good knowledge of computer networking.

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Aryan Kumar

Aryan Kumar

04-Jul-2023

Sure. In C#, an abstract class is a class that cannot be instantiated. It can only be inherited from by other classes. An interface is a contract that defines a set of methods that a class must implement.

Here are some of the key differences between abstract classes and interfaces in C#:

  • Abstract classes can have fields and methods, while interfaces can only have methods. Abstract classes can have both fields and methods, while interfaces can only have methods. This is because abstract classes are meant to be used as a base class for other classes, while interfaces are meant to be used as a contract that other classes can implement.
  • Abstract classes can have constructors, while interfaces cannot. Abstract classes can have constructors, while interfaces cannot. This is because abstract classes are meant to be used as a base class for other classes, and constructors are used to initialize objects.
  • Abstract classes can be inherited from multiple times, while interfaces can only be inherited from once. Abstract classes can be inherited from multiple times, while interfaces can only be inherited from once. This is because abstract classes are meant to be used as a base class for other classes, and multiple inheritance can be used to combine the features of multiple abstract classes.
  • Abstract classes can be used to provide default implementations for methods, while interfaces cannot. Abstract classes can be used to provide default implementations for methods, while interfaces cannot. This is because abstract classes are meant to be used as a base class for other classes, and default implementations can be used to provide a starting point for other classes to override.

Here are some examples of how abstract classes and interfaces can be used in C#:

  • An abstract class can be used to define a base class for other classes. For example, an abstract class Animal could be defined with methods for eating, sleeping, and moving. Other classes, such as Dog and Cat, could inherit from the Animal class and implement the methods in their own way.
  • An interface can be used to define a contract that other classes can implement. For example, an interface IPrintable could be defined with a method Print(). Other classes, such as Book and Article, could implement the IPrintable interface by providing their own implementation of the Print() method.

Overall, abstract classes and interfaces are both powerful tools that can be used to design object-oriented software. Abstract classes are typically used to define base classes for other classes, while interfaces are typically used to define contracts that other classes can implement.

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