Unveränderlichkeit

Unveränderlichkeit, German for immutability, refers to the property of an object or value that cannot be modified after it has been created. Once an immutable object is instantiated, its internal state remains fixed for its entire lifetime. Any operation that appears to alter an immutable object actually results in the creation of a new object with the modified state, leaving the original object unchanged.

This concept is prevalent in programming languages and software design. For instance, in many functional programming paradigms, immutability is a core principle. Using immutable data structures can simplify reasoning about program state, as developers don't need to worry about unexpected side effects caused by modifications to shared data. It also enhances thread safety in concurrent programming environments, as multiple threads can safely access immutable objects without the risk of data corruption.

Examples of immutable data types include strings in languages like Java and Python. When you perform string concatenation or manipulation, a new string object is generated. In contrast, mutable objects, such as lists or arrays in many languages, can be altered in place after their creation. The choice between immutable and mutable data structures often involves trade-offs between performance, memory usage, and ease of development. Immutability can sometimes incur a performance overhead due to the creation of new objects, but it often leads to more robust and predictable software.