The Difference between Constructor and Destructor in Programming
When it comes to programming, constructors and destructors are two essential concepts that every programmer needs to understand. Although they are used in defining the behavior of classes, constructors and destructors have different roles in programming. In this article, we will discuss the difference between constructor and destructor.
What is a Constructor?
A constructor is a special method that is called when an object is created. Its purpose is to initialize the object’s data members and allocate any necessary resources. The constructor is automatically called when an instance of a class is created, and its name must be the same as the class name. A constructor should initialize all the data members of the object and ensure that the object is in a valid state. Constructors can be overloaded, which means that you can define multiple constructors with different parameters.
What is a Destructor?
A destructor, on the other hand, is a special method that is called when an object is destroyed. Its purpose is to free any resources that were allocated by the object during its lifetime. A destructor is called automatically when an object goes out of scope or when it is explicitly deleted. The name of the destructor is the tilde (~) followed by the class name. Like constructors, destructors can also be overloaded, but it is rarely necessary.
The Differences:
Constructors and destructors have different roles in programming. Constructors are used to initialize the state of an object, whereas destructors are used to free any resources that were allocated by the object. Constructor is called once, at the time of object creation, whereas destructor is called once, at the time of object destruction.
While constructors are called automatically when an object is created, destructors are called automatically when an object is destroyed. Constructors initialize an object’s data members, while destructors take care of cleaning up any resources that were used by the object.
Another difference is that constructors can be overloaded to create objects with different initializations, but destructors cannot be overloaded. Also, constructors do not have a return type, while destructors do not have any parameters.
Conclusion:
In conclusion, constructors and destructors are both important concepts in programming, but they have different roles. Constructors are used to initialize an object’s data members and ensure that the object is in a valid state, while destructors are used to free any resources that were allocated by the object. By understanding the difference between these two concepts, you can create a more efficient and effective program.
Table difference between constructor and destructor
| Constructor | Destructor |
|---|---|
| Constructor is a special type of method that is executed automatically when an object of a class is created. | Destructor is also a special type of method that is executed automatically when the object of a class is destroyed or goes out of scope. |
| Constructors are used to initialize the data members of a class. | Destructors are used to de-allocate the memory area occupied by the constructor. |
| Constructors have the same name as the class name. | Destructors have the same name as the class name preceded by a tilde(~). |
| Constructors can be overloaded. | Destructors cannot be overloaded. |
| Constructors are called only once during the creation of an object. | Destructors are called only once during the destruction of an object. |