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What does "abstraction" mean in programming?

abstraction is one of the most common terms in software development. This guide explains what it means, how it is used in practice, and why it matters, with real examples from the developer world.

Definition

The principle of hiding complex implementation details and exposing only the essential features of an object or system. Abstraction lets you work with higher-level concepts without knowing how they are implemented.

Example

"The database abstraction layer lets you switch from PostgreSQL to MySQL without changing the application code."

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