Which principle of object-oriented programming focuses on restricting access to certain components?

The principle of object-oriented programming that focuses on restricting access to certain components is encapsulation. Encapsulation is a fundamental concept that involves bundling the data (attributes) and methods (functions) that operate on the data into a single unit called an object. It restricts direct access to some of an object's components, which is intended to protect the object's internal state and ensure that the integrity of the data is maintained.

By using access modifiers such as private, protected, and public, encapsulation allows a developer to control how the internal representation of an object can be accessed or modified from outside its class. This is important for maintaining the integrity of the object and preventing unintended interference from other parts of the code, thereby reducing complexity and increasing maintainability.

On the other hand, inheritance deals with the ability to create new classes based on existing classes, allowing for code reusability and the establishment of hierarchical relationships between classes. Abstraction provides a way to simplify complex systems by exposing only the necessary parts while hiding the implementation details. Polymorphism allows objects to be treated as instances of their parent class, enabling methods to be used interchangeably, even when those methods might behave differently based on the object's actual class.

Encapsulation is specifically about restricting access, making