ruby-oop

Ruby classes inherit behavior using the < operator and super keyword. Define a parent class, then create child classes that reuse and override methods. This enables polymorphism—objects respond to the same message differently based on their type.

Inheritance creates a single parent-child hierarchy; mixins use modules to add behavior to multiple unrelated classes. Modules provide composition—mix multiple behaviors into one class without rigid hierarchy constraints.

Ruby supports private, protected, and public methods. Public methods are callable from anywhere; private methods only within the class; protected methods accessible by other instances of the same class. Use these keywords to enforce encapsulation.

Composition delegates tasks to other objects rather than inheriting behavior. Use it when relationships are flexible or when a class would inherit conflicting responsibilities. It reduces coupling and makes code easier to test and modify.

Yes. Include multiple modules in one class to mix in behavior from different sources. Ruby resolves method calls through the method lookup chain—modules included last are searched first, enabling flexible behavior composition.

No. Core OOP patterns—classes, modules, inheritance, and method visibility—work without metaprogramming. Master these fundamentals first; metaprogramming extends OOP for advanced use cases like dynamic method generation.