Abstract Class vs. Interface

An abstract class may contain complete or incomplete methods. Interfaces can contain only the signature of a method but no body. Thus an abstract class can implement methods but an interface can not implement methods.

· An abstract class can contain fields, constructors, or destructors and implement properties. An interface can not contain fields, constructors, or destructors and it has only the property's signature but no implementation.

· An abstract class cannot support multiple inheritance, but an interface can support multiple inheritance. Thus a class may inherit several interfaces but only one abstract class.

· A class implementing an interface has to implement all the methods of the interface, but the same is not required in the case of an abstract Class.

· Various access modifiers such as abstract, protected, internal, public, virtual, etc. are useful in abstract Classes but not in interfaces.

· Abstract classes are faster than interfaces.


Recommendations for Abstract Classes vs. Interfaces

• If you anticipate creating multiple versions of your component, create an abstract class. Abstract classes provide a simple and easy way to version your components. By updating the base class, all inheriting classes are automatically updated with the change. Interfaces, on the other hand, cannot be changed once created. If a new version of an interface is required, you must create a whole new interface.
• If the functionality you are creating will be useful across a wide range of disparate objects, use an interface. Abstract classes should be used primarily for objects that are closely related, whereas interfaces are best suited for providing common functionality to unrelated classes.
• If you are designing small, concise bits of functionality, use interfaces. If you are designing large functional units, use an abstract class.
• If you want to provide common, implemented functionality among all implementations of your component, use an abstract class. Abstract classes allow you to partially implement your class, whereas interfaces contain no implementation for any members

So Which One Should I Use?

Abstract classes can add more functionality without destroying the child classes that were using the old version. Abstract classes provide a simple and easy way to version our components. By updating the base class, all inheriting classes are automatically updated with the change. In an interface, creation of additional functions will have an effect on its child classes due to the necessary implementation of interface Methods in classes. Abstract classes should be used primarily for objects that are closely related, whereas interfaces are best suited for providing common functionality to unrelated classes. Say there are two classes, bird and airplane, and both of them have methods called fly. It would be ridiculous for an airplane to inherit from the bird class just because it has the fly() method. Rather, the fly() method should be defined as an interface and both bird and airplane should implement that interface. If we want to provide common, implemented functionality among all implementations of component, we should use an abstract class. Abstract classes allow us to partially implement classes, whereas interfaces contain no implementation for any members. So the selection of interface or abstract classes depends on the needs and design of our project. We can make an abstract class, interface, or combination of both depending on our needs.

The most likely situation in which we make a class or method sealed will be if the class or method is internal to the operation of the library, class, or other classes that we are writing. Because any attempt to override some of its functionality will cause problems. We can mark a class or method as sealed for commercial reasons, in order to prevent a third party from extending our classes. For example, in the .NET base class library string is a sealed class.

We should not use the sealed key word on a method unless that method is itself an override of another method in some base class. If we are defining a new method and we don’t want anyone else to override it, we should not declare it as virtual in the first place. If however, we have overridden a base class method, the sealed keyword provides a way of ensuring that the override supplied to a method is a “final” override that means no one else can override it again.