Kapsulation

Kapsulation is a term used to describe the practice of enclosing or wrapping a component, substance, or process so that its internal details are protected from external interference and a clear interface is provided. In practice, the term is often used as an alternate spelling of encapsulation, and variations with a leading K appear in some languages and disciplinary jargon.

In software development, encapsulation is a foundational principle of object-oriented programming. It groups data (attributes) and operations (methods) into classes and restricts direct access to the internal state through access modifiers. By exposing only a defined public interface, implementation details can change without affecting external code, enhancing modularity and maintainability.

In chemistry and pharmacology, encapsulation often refers to enclosing an active substance within a capsule or microcapsules to protect it from the environment, mask taste, or allow controlled release. In materials science, microencapsulation can protect sensitive compounds during processing or delivery.

In cryptography, a related concept appears as a key encapsulation mechanism (KEM), which securely transfers a symmetric key by encapsulating it under a recipient's public key and permitting retrieval with the corresponding private key.

Across disciplines, encapsulation and its variants emphasize controlled exposure of internal state or content while providing a usable external interface.