# **What is inheritance in Java?** Inheritance in Java is one of the fundamental concepts of Object-Oriented Programming (OOP). It allows one class to inherit the properties and behaviors of another class, making code more reusable and efficient. The class whose features are inherited is called the parent class or superclass, while the class that inherits is known as the child class or subclass. This mechanism helps developers avoid duplicating code and provides a cleaner structure for large applications. [Java Course in Pune](https://www.sevenmentor.com/java-training-classes-in-pune.php) The primary benefit of inheritance is code reusability. Instead of writing the same logic multiple times, you can write it once in the parent class and use it across multiple child classes. Any modifications made in the parent class are automatically available to its subclasses, making the program easier to maintain and scale. This also encourages consistency in coding practices and reduces redundancy. Java implements inheritance using the extends keyword for classes and the implements keyword for interfaces. For example, if you have a Parent class with a method display(), and a Child class that extends Parent, the Child class can directly use the display() method without redefining it. This shows how inheritance promotes the reuse of existing code. There are different types of inheritance in Java. The most common is single inheritance, where one class inherits from another. Multilevel inheritance forms a chain where a class extends another child class, and hierarchical inheritance occurs when multiple classes inherit from a single parent. Java does not allow multiple inheritance with classes to prevent ambiguity, but it does support multiple inheritance through interfaces, where a single class can implement multiple interfaces. Inheritance also enables method overriding and polymorphism. In method overriding, a child class can redefine a method of its parent class to provide its own behavior. This is the basis of runtime polymorphism in Java, which allows flexibility and dynamic behavior in applications. Additionally, the super keyword in Java helps a child class call the constructor, methods, or variables of its parent class, which is especially useful when parent and child classes share similar names. [Java Course in Pune](https://www.sevenmentor.com/java-training-classes-in-pune.php) A real-world example of inheritance can be seen in a school management system. Here, a parent class Person can have attributes like name, age, and address. The subclasses Student and Teacher can then extend the Person class, inheriting its properties while adding unique attributes such as studentId for students and subject for teachers. This approach avoids duplication and keeps the code well-structured. In conclusion, inheritance in Java is more than just a code-sharing mechanism—it is the foundation of OOP principles. It makes programs easier to maintain, enhances scalability, and allows developers to build more organized and efficient systems. By practicing inheritance along with related concepts like interfaces, polymorphism, and method overriding, Java developers can write powerful applications that are both reusable and easy to manage. [Java Classes in Pune](https://www.sevenmentor.com/java-training-classes-in-pune.php)