What is the difference between class and structure

Skip to content. Structure is a value type data type, whereas class is a reference type data type. You cannot change the default constructor of structure whereas you can change class default constructor.

Structure cannot have a destructor on the other hand class can have destructor. Class is used in small programs, while the structure is used in large programs. In structure, all the value types are allocated on stack while in class, all value types are allocated on heap. Report a Bug. Previous Prev. Compiler Design.

Computer Organization. Discrete Mathematics. Ethical Hacking. Computer Graphics. Software Engineering. Web Technology. Cyber Security. C Programming. Control System. Data Mining. Data Warehouse. Javatpoint Services JavaTpoint offers too many high quality services. Syntax: The structure and the class are syntactically similar. Main differences between the structure and class Here, we are going to discuss the main differences between the structure and class.

Some of them are as follows: By default, all the members of the structure are public. In contrast, all members of the class are private.

There are, however, some situations in which the characteristics of a value type make it more appropriate to use structs. It logically represents a single value, similar to primitive types int , double , etc. Reprinted by permission of Pearson Education, Inc. Feedback will be sent to Microsoft: By pressing the submit button, your feedback will be used to improve Microsoft products and services. Privacy policy. Skip to main content. This browser is no longer supported. Download Microsoft Edge More info.

Contents Exit focus mode. On the other hand, reference type data types do not store the actual data. Instead, it stores a reference to the variable. Class and Structure are two programming concepts. As mentioned above, Class is a reference type data type whereas Structure is a value type data type. What is Class — Definition, Functionality 2.

What is Structure — Definition, Functionality 3. Objects are created using a class. A class is a blueprint to create an object. In addition, a class consists of attributes and methods. Attributes are also called properties, and they define the characteristics of an object. The methods define the behaviour of the object. Furthermore, creating an object using a class is called instantiation. Members of a class are the attributes and methods of a class.

Mainly, they are three access specifiers to support data hiding in OOP: public, private and protected.