What is the difference between public, private, and protected?

Question

When and why should I use public, private, and protected functions and variables inside a class? What is the difference between them?<

Answer 1

⚡️ Here is an easy way to remember the scope of public, protected and private.

PUBLIC:

• public scope: A public variable/function is available to both objects and other classes.

PROTECTED:

• protected scope: A protected variable/function is available to all the classes that extend the current class.
• No! Objects cannot access this scope

PRIVATE:

• private scope: A private variable/function is only visible in the current class where it is being defined.
• No! Class that extend the current class cannot access this scope.
• No! Objects cannot access this scope.

Read the Visibility of a method or variable on PHP Manual.