CINXE.COM

<!DOCTYPE html> <html class="client-nojs vector-feature-language-in-header-enabled vector-feature-language-in-main-page-header-disabled vector-feature-page-tools-pinned-disabled vector-feature-toc-pinned-clientpref-1 vector-feature-main-menu-pinned-disabled vector-feature-limited-width-clientpref-1 vector-feature-limited-width-content-enabled vector-feature-custom-font-size-clientpref-1 vector-feature-appearance-pinned-clientpref-1 vector-feature-night-mode-enabled skin-theme-clientpref-day vector-sticky-header-enabled vector-toc-available" lang="en" dir="ltr"> <head> <meta charset="UTF-8"> <title>Interface (computing) - Wikipedia</title> <script>(function(){var className="client-js vector-feature-language-in-header-enabled vector-feature-language-in-main-page-header-disabled vector-feature-page-tools-pinned-disabled vector-feature-toc-pinned-clientpref-1 vector-feature-main-menu-pinned-disabled vector-feature-limited-width-clientpref-1 vector-feature-limited-width-content-enabled vector-feature-custom-font-size-clientpref-1 vector-feature-appearance-pinned-clientpref-1 vector-feature-night-mode-enabled skin-theme-clientpref-day vector-sticky-header-enabled vector-toc-available";var cookie=document.cookie.match(/(?:^|; )enwikimwclientpreferences=([^;]+)/);if(cookie){cookie[1].split('%2C').forEach(function(pref){className=className.replace(new RegExp('(^| )'+pref.replace(/-clientpref-\w+$|[^\w-]+/g,'')+'-clientpref-\\w+( |$)'),'$1'+pref+'$2');});}document.documentElement.className=className;}());RLCONF={"wgBreakFrames":false,"wgSeparatorTransformTable":["",""],"wgDigitTransformTable":["",""],"wgDefaultDateFormat":"dmy","wgMonthNames":["","January","February","March","April","May","June","July","August","September","October","November","December"],"wgRequestId":"468a5d49-827c-4ee6-b343-aa443fd006aa","wgCanonicalNamespace":"","wgCanonicalSpecialPageName":false,"wgNamespaceNumber":0,"wgPageName":"Interface_(computing)","wgTitle":"Interface (computing)","wgCurRevisionId":1280740308,"wgRevisionId":1280740308,"wgArticleId":620746,"wgIsArticle":true,"wgIsRedirect":false,"wgAction":"view","wgUserName":null,"wgUserGroups":["*"],"wgCategories":["Articles with short description","Short description is different from Wikidata","All articles with unsourced statements","Articles with unsourced statements from June 2018","Articles with example Java code","Interfaces","Object-oriented programming","Programming constructs"],"wgPageViewLanguage":"en","wgPageContentLanguage":"en","wgPageContentModel":"wikitext","wgRelevantPageName":"Interface_(computing)","wgRelevantArticleId":620746,"wgIsProbablyEditable":true,"wgRelevantPageIsProbablyEditable":true,"wgRestrictionEdit":[],"wgRestrictionMove":[],"wgNoticeProject":"wikipedia","wgCiteReferencePreviewsActive":false,"wgFlaggedRevsParams":{"tags":{"status":{"levels":1}}},"wgMediaViewerOnClick":true,"wgMediaViewerEnabledByDefault":true,"wgPopupsFlags":0,"wgVisualEditor":{"pageLanguageCode":"en","pageLanguageDir":"ltr","pageVariantFallbacks":"en"},"wgMFDisplayWikibaseDescriptions":{"search":true,"watchlist":true,"tagline":false,"nearby":true},"wgWMESchemaEditAttemptStepOversample":false,"wgWMEPageLength":10000,"wgEditSubmitButtonLabelPublish":true,"wgULSPosition":"interlanguage","wgULSisCompactLinksEnabled":false,"wgVector2022LanguageInHeader":true,"wgULSisLanguageSelectorEmpty":false,"wgWikibaseItemId":"Q23808","wgCheckUserClientHintsHeadersJsApi":["brands","architecture","bitness","fullVersionList","mobile","model","platform","platformVersion"],"GEHomepageSuggestedEditsEnableTopics":true,"wgGETopicsMatchModeEnabled":false,"wgGEStructuredTaskRejectionReasonTextInputEnabled":false,"wgGELevelingUpEnabledForUser":false}; RLSTATE={"ext.globalCssJs.user.styles":"ready","site.styles":"ready","user.styles":"ready","ext.globalCssJs.user":"ready","user":"ready","user.options":"loading","ext.cite.styles":"ready","ext.pygments":"ready","skins.vector.search.codex.styles":"ready","skins.vector.styles":"ready","skins.vector.icons":"ready","ext.wikimediamessages.styles":"ready","ext.visualEditor.desktopArticleTarget.noscript":"ready","ext.uls.interlanguage":"ready","wikibase.client.init":"ready"};RLPAGEMODULES=["ext.cite.ux-enhancements","ext.pygments.view","mediawiki.page.media","site","mediawiki.page.ready","mediawiki.toc","skins.vector.js","ext.centralNotice.geoIP","ext.centralNotice.startUp","ext.gadget.ReferenceTooltips","ext.gadget.switcher","ext.urlShortener.toolbar","ext.centralauth.centralautologin","mmv.bootstrap","ext.popups","ext.visualEditor.desktopArticleTarget.init","ext.visualEditor.targetLoader","ext.echo.centralauth","ext.eventLogging","ext.wikimediaEvents","ext.navigationTiming","ext.uls.interface","ext.cx.eventlogging.campaigns","ext.cx.uls.quick.actions","wikibase.client.vector-2022","ext.checkUser.clientHints","ext.growthExperiments.SuggestedEditSession"];</script> <script>(RLQ=window.RLQ||[]).push(function(){mw.loader.impl(function(){return["user.options@12s5i",function($,jQuery,require,module){mw.user.tokens.set({"patrolToken":"+\\","watchToken":"+\\","csrfToken":"+\\"}); }];});});</script> <link rel="stylesheet" href="/w/load.php?lang=en&modules=ext.cite.styles%7Cext.pygments%7Cext.uls.interlanguage%7Cext.visualEditor.desktopArticleTarget.noscript%7Cext.wikimediamessages.styles%7Cskins.vector.icons%2Cstyles%7Cskins.vector.search.codex.styles%7Cwikibase.client.init&only=styles&skin=vector-2022"> <script async="" src="/w/load.php?lang=en&modules=startup&only=scripts&raw=1&skin=vector-2022"></script> <meta name="ResourceLoaderDynamicStyles" content=""> <link rel="stylesheet" href="/w/load.php?lang=en&modules=site.styles&only=styles&skin=vector-2022"> <meta name="generator" content="MediaWiki 1.44.0-wmf.20"> <meta name="referrer" content="origin"> <meta name="referrer" content="origin-when-cross-origin"> <meta name="robots" content="max-image-preview:standard"> <meta name="format-detection" content="telephone=no"> <meta name="viewport" content="width=1120"> <meta property="og:title" content="Interface (computing) - Wikipedia"> <meta property="og:type" content="website"> <link rel="preconnect" href="//upload.wikimedia.org"> <link rel="alternate" media="only screen and (max-width: 640px)" href="//en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interface_(computing)"> <link rel="alternate" type="application/x-wiki" title="Edit this page" href="/w/index.php?title=Interface_(computing)&action=edit"> <link rel="apple-touch-icon" href="/static/apple-touch/wikipedia.png"> <link rel="icon" href="/static/favicon/wikipedia.ico"> <link rel="search" type="application/opensearchdescription+xml" href="/w/rest.php/v1/search" title="Wikipedia (en)"> <link rel="EditURI" type="application/rsd+xml" href="//en.wikipedia.org/w/api.php?action=rsd"> <link rel="canonical" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interface_(computing)"> <link rel="license" href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/deed.en"> <link rel="alternate" type="application/atom+xml" title="Wikipedia Atom feed" href="/w/index.php?title=Special:RecentChanges&feed=atom"> <link rel="dns-prefetch" href="//meta.wikimedia.org" /> <link rel="dns-prefetch" href="login.wikimedia.org"> </head> <body class="skin--responsive skin-vector skin-vector-search-vue mediawiki ltr sitedir-ltr mw-hide-empty-elt ns-0 ns-subject mw-editable page-Interface_computing rootpage-Interface_computing skin-vector-2022 action-view"><a class="mw-jump-link" href="#bodyContent">Jump to content</a> <div class="vector-header-container"> <header class="vector-header mw-header"> <div class="vector-header-start"> <nav class="vector-main-menu-landmark" aria-label="Site"> <div id="vector-main-menu-dropdown" class="vector-dropdown vector-main-menu-dropdown vector-button-flush-left vector-button-flush-right" title="Main menu" > <input type="checkbox" id="vector-main-menu-dropdown-checkbox" role="button" aria-haspopup="true" data-event-name="ui.dropdown-vector-main-menu-dropdown" class="vector-dropdown-checkbox " aria-label="Main menu" > <label id="vector-main-menu-dropdown-label" for="vector-main-menu-dropdown-checkbox" class="vector-dropdown-label cdx-button cdx-button--fake-button cdx-button--fake-button--enabled cdx-button--weight-quiet cdx-button--icon-only " aria-hidden="true" ><span class="vector-icon mw-ui-icon-menu mw-ui-icon-wikimedia-menu"></span> <span class="vector-dropdown-label-text">Main menu</span> </label> <div class="vector-dropdown-content"> <div id="vector-main-menu-unpinned-container" class="vector-unpinned-container"> <div id="vector-main-menu" class="vector-main-menu vector-pinnable-element"> <div class="vector-pinnable-header vector-main-menu-pinnable-header vector-pinnable-header-unpinned" data-feature-name="main-menu-pinned" data-pinnable-element-id="vector-main-menu" data-pinned-container-id="vector-main-menu-pinned-container" data-unpinned-container-id="vector-main-menu-unpinned-container" > <div class="vector-pinnable-header-label">Main menu</div> <button class="vector-pinnable-header-toggle-button vector-pinnable-header-pin-button" data-event-name="pinnable-header.vector-main-menu.pin">move to sidebar</button> <button class="vector-pinnable-header-toggle-button vector-pinnable-header-unpin-button" data-event-name="pinnable-header.vector-main-menu.unpin">hide</button> </div> <div id="p-navigation" class="vector-menu mw-portlet mw-portlet-navigation" > <div class="vector-menu-heading"> Navigation </div> <div class="vector-menu-content"> <ul class="vector-menu-content-list"> <li id="n-mainpage-description" class="mw-list-item"><a href="/wiki/Main_Page" title="Visit the main page [z]" accesskey="z"><span>Main page</span></a></li><li id="n-contents" class="mw-list-item"><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Contents" title="Guides to browsing Wikipedia"><span>Contents</span></a></li><li id="n-currentevents" class="mw-list-item"><a href="/wiki/Portal:Current_events" title="Articles related to current events"><span>Current events</span></a></li><li id="n-randompage" class="mw-list-item"><a href="/wiki/Special:Random" title="Visit a randomly selected article [x]" accesskey="x"><span>Random article</span></a></li><li id="n-aboutsite" class="mw-list-item"><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:About" title="Learn about Wikipedia and how it works"><span>About Wikipedia</span></a></li><li id="n-contactpage" class="mw-list-item"><a href="//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Contact_us" title="How to contact Wikipedia"><span>Contact us</span></a></li> </ul> </div> </div> <div id="p-interaction" class="vector-menu mw-portlet mw-portlet-interaction" > <div class="vector-menu-heading"> Contribute </div> <div class="vector-menu-content"> <ul class="vector-menu-content-list"> <li id="n-help" class="mw-list-item"><a href="/wiki/Help:Contents" title="Guidance on how to use and edit Wikipedia"><span>Help</span></a></li><li id="n-introduction" class="mw-list-item"><a href="/wiki/Help:Introduction" title="Learn how to edit Wikipedia"><span>Learn to edit</span></a></li><li id="n-portal" class="mw-list-item"><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Community_portal" title="The hub for editors"><span>Community portal</span></a></li><li id="n-recentchanges" class="mw-list-item"><a href="/wiki/Special:RecentChanges" title="A list of recent changes to Wikipedia [r]" accesskey="r"><span>Recent changes</span></a></li><li id="n-upload" class="mw-list-item"><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:File_upload_wizard" title="Add images or other media for use on Wikipedia"><span>Upload file</span></a></li><li id="n-specialpages" class="mw-list-item"><a href="/wiki/Special:SpecialPages"><span>Special pages</span></a></li> </ul> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </nav> <a href="/wiki/Main_Page" class="mw-logo"> <img class="mw-logo-icon" src="/static/images/icons/wikipedia.png" alt="" aria-hidden="true" height="50" width="50"> <span class="mw-logo-container skin-invert"> <img class="mw-logo-wordmark" alt="Wikipedia" src="/static/images/mobile/copyright/wikipedia-wordmark-en.svg" style="width: 7.5em; height: 1.125em;"> <img class="mw-logo-tagline" alt="The Free Encyclopedia" src="/static/images/mobile/copyright/wikipedia-tagline-en.svg" width="117" height="13" style="width: 7.3125em; height: 0.8125em;"> </span> </a> </div> <div class="vector-header-end"> <div id="p-search" role="search" class="vector-search-box-vue vector-search-box-collapses vector-search-box-show-thumbnail vector-search-box-auto-expand-width vector-search-box"> <a href="/wiki/Special:Search" class="cdx-button cdx-button--fake-button cdx-button--fake-button--enabled cdx-button--weight-quiet cdx-button--icon-only search-toggle" title="Search Wikipedia [f]" accesskey="f"><span class="vector-icon mw-ui-icon-search mw-ui-icon-wikimedia-search"></span> <span>Search</span> </a> <div class="vector-typeahead-search-container"> <div class="cdx-typeahead-search cdx-typeahead-search--show-thumbnail cdx-typeahead-search--auto-expand-width"> <form action="/w/index.php" id="searchform" class="cdx-search-input cdx-search-input--has-end-button"> <div id="simpleSearch" class="cdx-search-input__input-wrapper" data-search-loc="header-moved"> <div class="cdx-text-input cdx-text-input--has-start-icon"> <input class="cdx-text-input__input" type="search" name="search" placeholder="Search Wikipedia" aria-label="Search Wikipedia" autocapitalize="sentences" title="Search Wikipedia [f]" accesskey="f" id="searchInput" > <span class="cdx-text-input__icon cdx-text-input__start-icon"></span> </div> <input type="hidden" name="title" value="Special:Search"> </div> <button class="cdx-button cdx-search-input__end-button">Search</button> </form> </div> </div> </div> <nav class="vector-user-links vector-user-links-wide" aria-label="Personal tools"> <div class="vector-user-links-main"> <div id="p-vector-user-menu-preferences" class="vector-menu mw-portlet emptyPortlet" > <div class="vector-menu-content"> <ul class="vector-menu-content-list"> </ul> </div> </div> <div id="p-vector-user-menu-userpage" class="vector-menu mw-portlet emptyPortlet" > <div class="vector-menu-content"> <ul class="vector-menu-content-list"> </ul> </div> </div> <nav class="vector-appearance-landmark" aria-label="Appearance"> <div id="vector-appearance-dropdown" class="vector-dropdown " title="Change the appearance of the page's font size, width, and color" > <input type="checkbox" id="vector-appearance-dropdown-checkbox" role="button" aria-haspopup="true" data-event-name="ui.dropdown-vector-appearance-dropdown" class="vector-dropdown-checkbox " aria-label="Appearance" > <label id="vector-appearance-dropdown-label" for="vector-appearance-dropdown-checkbox" class="vector-dropdown-label cdx-button cdx-button--fake-button cdx-button--fake-button--enabled cdx-button--weight-quiet cdx-button--icon-only " aria-hidden="true" ><span class="vector-icon mw-ui-icon-appearance mw-ui-icon-wikimedia-appearance"></span> <span class="vector-dropdown-label-text">Appearance</span> </label> <div class="vector-dropdown-content"> <div id="vector-appearance-unpinned-container" class="vector-unpinned-container"> </div> </div> </div> </nav> <div id="p-vector-user-menu-notifications" class="vector-menu mw-portlet emptyPortlet" > <div class="vector-menu-content"> <ul class="vector-menu-content-list"> </ul> </div> </div> <div id="p-vector-user-menu-overflow" class="vector-menu mw-portlet" > <div class="vector-menu-content"> <ul class="vector-menu-content-list"> <li id="pt-sitesupport-2" class="user-links-collapsible-item mw-list-item user-links-collapsible-item"><a data-mw="interface" href="https://donate.wikimedia.org/?wmf_source=donate&wmf_medium=sidebar&wmf_campaign=en.wikipedia.org&uselang=en" class=""><span>Donate</span></a> </li> <li id="pt-createaccount-2" class="user-links-collapsible-item mw-list-item user-links-collapsible-item"><a data-mw="interface" href="/w/index.php?title=Special:CreateAccount&returnto=Interface+%28computing%29" title="You are encouraged to create an account and log in; however, it is not mandatory" class=""><span>Create account</span></a> </li> <li id="pt-login-2" class="user-links-collapsible-item mw-list-item user-links-collapsible-item"><a data-mw="interface" href="/w/index.php?title=Special:UserLogin&returnto=Interface+%28computing%29" title="You're encouraged to log in; however, it's not mandatory. [o]" accesskey="o" class=""><span>Log in</span></a> </li> </ul> </div> </div> </div> <div id="vector-user-links-dropdown" class="vector-dropdown vector-user-menu vector-button-flush-right vector-user-menu-logged-out" title="Log in and more options" > <input type="checkbox" id="vector-user-links-dropdown-checkbox" role="button" aria-haspopup="true" data-event-name="ui.dropdown-vector-user-links-dropdown" class="vector-dropdown-checkbox " aria-label="Personal tools" > <label id="vector-user-links-dropdown-label" for="vector-user-links-dropdown-checkbox" class="vector-dropdown-label cdx-button cdx-button--fake-button cdx-button--fake-button--enabled cdx-button--weight-quiet cdx-button--icon-only " aria-hidden="true" ><span class="vector-icon mw-ui-icon-ellipsis mw-ui-icon-wikimedia-ellipsis"></span> <span class="vector-dropdown-label-text">Personal tools</span> </label> <div class="vector-dropdown-content"> <div id="p-personal" class="vector-menu mw-portlet mw-portlet-personal user-links-collapsible-item" title="User menu" > <div class="vector-menu-content"> <ul class="vector-menu-content-list"> <li id="pt-sitesupport" class="user-links-collapsible-item mw-list-item"><a href="https://donate.wikimedia.org/?wmf_source=donate&wmf_medium=sidebar&wmf_campaign=en.wikipedia.org&uselang=en"><span>Donate</span></a></li><li id="pt-createaccount" class="user-links-collapsible-item mw-list-item"><a href="/w/index.php?title=Special:CreateAccount&returnto=Interface+%28computing%29" title="You are encouraged to create an account and log in; however, it is not mandatory"><span class="vector-icon mw-ui-icon-userAdd mw-ui-icon-wikimedia-userAdd"></span> <span>Create account</span></a></li><li id="pt-login" class="user-links-collapsible-item mw-list-item"><a href="/w/index.php?title=Special:UserLogin&returnto=Interface+%28computing%29" title="You're encouraged to log in; however, it's not mandatory. [o]" accesskey="o"><span class="vector-icon mw-ui-icon-logIn mw-ui-icon-wikimedia-logIn"></span> <span>Log in</span></a></li> </ul> </div> </div> <div id="p-user-menu-anon-editor" class="vector-menu mw-portlet mw-portlet-user-menu-anon-editor" > <div class="vector-menu-heading"> Pages for logged out editors <a href="/wiki/Help:Introduction" aria-label="Learn more about editing"><span>learn more</span></a> </div> <div class="vector-menu-content"> <ul class="vector-menu-content-list"> <li id="pt-anoncontribs" class="mw-list-item"><a href="/wiki/Special:MyContributions" title="A list of edits made from this IP address [y]" accesskey="y"><span>Contributions</span></a></li><li id="pt-anontalk" class="mw-list-item"><a href="/wiki/Special:MyTalk" title="Discussion about edits from this IP address [n]" accesskey="n"><span>Talk</span></a></li> </ul> </div> </div> </div> </div> </nav> </div> </header> </div> <div class="mw-page-container"> <div class="mw-page-container-inner"> <div class="vector-sitenotice-container"> <div id="siteNotice"></div> </div> <div class="vector-column-start"> <div class="vector-main-menu-container"> <div id="mw-navigation"> <nav id="mw-panel" class="vector-main-menu-landmark" aria-label="Site"> <div id="vector-main-menu-pinned-container" class="vector-pinned-container"> </div> </nav> </div> </div> <div class="vector-sticky-pinned-container"> <nav id="mw-panel-toc" aria-label="Contents" data-event-name="ui.sidebar-toc" class="mw-table-of-contents-container vector-toc-landmark"> <div id="vector-toc-pinned-container" class="vector-pinned-container"> <div id="vector-toc" class="vector-toc vector-pinnable-element"> <div class="vector-pinnable-header vector-toc-pinnable-header vector-pinnable-header-pinned" data-feature-name="toc-pinned" data-pinnable-element-id="vector-toc" > <h2 class="vector-pinnable-header-label">Contents</h2> <button class="vector-pinnable-header-toggle-button vector-pinnable-header-pin-button" data-event-name="pinnable-header.vector-toc.pin">move to sidebar</button> <button class="vector-pinnable-header-toggle-button vector-pinnable-header-unpin-button" data-event-name="pinnable-header.vector-toc.unpin">hide</button> </div> <ul class="vector-toc-contents" id="mw-panel-toc-list"> <li id="toc-mw-content-text" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-1"> <a href="#" class="vector-toc-link"> <div class="vector-toc-text">(Top)</div> </a> </li> <li id="toc-Hardware_interfaces" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-1 vector-toc-list-item-expanded"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Hardware_interfaces"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">1</span> <span>Hardware interfaces</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Hardware_interfaces-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Software_interfaces" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-1 vector-toc-list-item-expanded"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Software_interfaces"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">2</span> <span>Software interfaces</span> </div> </a> <button aria-controls="toc-Software_interfaces-sublist" class="cdx-button cdx-button--weight-quiet cdx-button--icon-only vector-toc-toggle"> <span class="vector-icon mw-ui-icon-wikimedia-expand"></span> <span>Toggle Software interfaces subsection</span> </button> <ul id="toc-Software_interfaces-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> <li id="toc-In_practice" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-2"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#In_practice"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">2.1</span> <span>In practice</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-In_practice-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-In_object-oriented_languages" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-2"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#In_object-oriented_languages"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">2.2</span> <span>In object-oriented languages</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-In_object-oriented_languages-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Programming_to_the_interface" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-2"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Programming_to_the_interface"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">2.3</span> <span>Programming to the interface</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Programming_to_the_interface-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-User_interfaces" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-1 vector-toc-list-item-expanded"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#User_interfaces"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">3</span> <span>User interfaces</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-User_interfaces-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-See_also" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-1 vector-toc-list-item-expanded"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#See_also"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">4</span> <span>See also</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-See_also-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-References" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-1 vector-toc-list-item-expanded"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#References"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">5</span> <span>References</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-References-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> </ul> </div> </div> </nav> </div> </div> <div class="mw-content-container"> <main id="content" class="mw-body"> <header class="mw-body-header vector-page-titlebar"> <nav aria-label="Contents" class="vector-toc-landmark"> <div id="vector-page-titlebar-toc" class="vector-dropdown vector-page-titlebar-toc vector-button-flush-left" title="Table of Contents" > <input type="checkbox" id="vector-page-titlebar-toc-checkbox" role="button" aria-haspopup="true" data-event-name="ui.dropdown-vector-page-titlebar-toc" class="vector-dropdown-checkbox " aria-label="Toggle the table of contents" > <label id="vector-page-titlebar-toc-label" for="vector-page-titlebar-toc-checkbox" class="vector-dropdown-label cdx-button cdx-button--fake-button cdx-button--fake-button--enabled cdx-button--weight-quiet cdx-button--icon-only " aria-hidden="true" ><span class="vector-icon mw-ui-icon-listBullet mw-ui-icon-wikimedia-listBullet"></span> <span class="vector-dropdown-label-text">Toggle the table of contents</span> </label> <div class="vector-dropdown-content"> <div id="vector-page-titlebar-toc-unpinned-container" class="vector-unpinned-container"> </div> </div> </div> </nav> <h1 id="firstHeading" class="firstHeading mw-first-heading"><span class="mw-page-title-main">Interface (computing)</span></h1> <div id="p-lang-btn" class="vector-dropdown mw-portlet mw-portlet-lang" > <input type="checkbox" id="p-lang-btn-checkbox" role="button" aria-haspopup="true" data-event-name="ui.dropdown-p-lang-btn" class="vector-dropdown-checkbox mw-interlanguage-selector" aria-label="Go to an article in another language. Available in 57 languages" > <label id="p-lang-btn-label" for="p-lang-btn-checkbox" class="vector-dropdown-label cdx-button cdx-button--fake-button cdx-button--fake-button--enabled cdx-button--weight-quiet cdx-button--action-progressive mw-portlet-lang-heading-57" aria-hidden="true" ><span class="vector-icon mw-ui-icon-language-progressive mw-ui-icon-wikimedia-language-progressive"></span> <span class="vector-dropdown-label-text">57 languages</span> </label> <div class="vector-dropdown-content"> <div class="vector-menu-content"> <ul class="vector-menu-content-list"> <li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-ar mw-list-item"><a href="https://ar.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D9%88%D8%A7%D8%AC%D9%87%D8%A9_(%D8%AD%D9%88%D8%B3%D8%A8%D8%A9)" title="واجهة (حوسبة) – Arabic" lang="ar" hreflang="ar" data-title="واجهة (حوسبة)" data-language-autonym="العربية" data-language-local-name="Arabic" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>العربية</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-ast mw-list-item"><a href="https://ast.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interfaz" title="Interfaz – Asturian" lang="ast" hreflang="ast" data-title="Interfaz" data-language-autonym="Asturianu" data-language-local-name="Asturian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Asturianu</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-az mw-list-item"><a href="https://az.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C4%B0nterfeys" title="İnterfeys – Azerbaijani" lang="az" hreflang="az" data-title="İnterfeys" data-language-autonym="Azərbaycanca" data-language-local-name="Azerbaijani" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Azərbaycanca</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-bn mw-list-item"><a href="https://bn.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E0%A6%87%E0%A6%A8%E0%A7%8D%E0%A6%9F%E0%A6%BE%E0%A6%B0%E0%A6%AB%E0%A7%87%E0%A6%B8" title="ইন্টারফেস – Bangla" lang="bn" hreflang="bn" data-title="ইন্টারফেস" data-language-autonym="বাংলা" data-language-local-name="Bangla" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>বাংলা</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-be mw-list-item"><a href="https://be.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%86%D0%BD%D1%82%D1%8D%D1%80%D1%84%D0%B5%D0%B9%D1%81" title="Інтэрфейс – Belarusian" lang="be" hreflang="be" data-title="Інтэрфейс" data-language-autonym="Беларуская" data-language-local-name="Belarusian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Беларуская</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-bg mw-list-item"><a href="https://bg.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%98%D0%BD%D1%82%D0%B5%D1%80%D1%84%D0%B5%D0%B9%D1%81_(%D0%BF%D1%80%D0%BE%D0%B3%D1%80%D0%B0%D0%BC%D0%B8%D1%80%D0%B0%D0%BD%D0%B5)" title="Интерфейс (програмиране) – Bulgarian" lang="bg" hreflang="bg" data-title="Интерфейс (програмиране)" data-language-autonym="Български" data-language-local-name="Bulgarian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Български</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-ca mw-list-item"><a href="https://ca.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interf%C3%ADcie" title="Interfície – Catalan" lang="ca" hreflang="ca" data-title="Interfície" data-language-autonym="Català" data-language-local-name="Catalan" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Català</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-cs mw-list-item"><a href="https://cs.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rozhran%C3%AD_(informatika)" title="Rozhraní (informatika) – Czech" lang="cs" hreflang="cs" data-title="Rozhraní (informatika)" data-language-autonym="Čeština" data-language-local-name="Czech" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Čeština</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-da mw-list-item"><a href="https://da.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gr%C3%A6nseflade_(datalogi)" title="Grænseflade (datalogi) – Danish" lang="da" hreflang="da" data-title="Grænseflade (datalogi)" data-language-autonym="Dansk" data-language-local-name="Danish" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Dansk</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-de mw-list-item"><a href="https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schnittstelle" title="Schnittstelle – German" lang="de" hreflang="de" data-title="Schnittstelle" data-language-autonym="Deutsch" data-language-local-name="German" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Deutsch</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-et mw-list-item"><a href="https://et.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liides" title="Liides – Estonian" lang="et" hreflang="et" data-title="Liides" data-language-autonym="Eesti" data-language-local-name="Estonian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Eesti</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-el mw-list-item"><a href="https://el.wikipedia.org/wiki/%CE%94%CE%B9%CE%B5%CF%80%CE%B1%CF%86%CE%AE_(%CF%80%CE%BB%CE%B7%CF%81%CE%BF%CF%86%CE%BF%CF%81%CE%B9%CE%BA%CE%AE)" title="Διεπαφή (πληροφορική) – Greek" lang="el" hreflang="el" data-title="Διεπαφή (πληροφορική)" data-language-autonym="Ελληνικά" data-language-local-name="Greek" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Ελληνικά</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-es mw-list-item"><a href="https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interfaz" title="Interfaz – Spanish" lang="es" hreflang="es" data-title="Interfaz" data-language-autonym="Español" data-language-local-name="Spanish" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Español</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-eo mw-list-item"><a href="https://eo.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interfaco" title="Interfaco – Esperanto" lang="eo" hreflang="eo" data-title="Interfaco" data-language-autonym="Esperanto" data-language-local-name="Esperanto" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Esperanto</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-fa mw-list-item"><a href="https://fa.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D8%B1%D8%A7%D8%A8%D8%B7_(%D8%B1%D8%A7%DB%8C%D8%A7%D9%86%D8%B4)" title="رابط (رایانش) – Persian" lang="fa" hreflang="fa" data-title="رابط (رایانش)" data-language-autonym="فارسی" data-language-local-name="Persian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>فارسی</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-fr mw-list-item"><a href="https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interface_(informatique)" title="Interface (informatique) – French" lang="fr" hreflang="fr" data-title="Interface (informatique)" data-language-autonym="Français" data-language-local-name="French" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Français</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-fy mw-list-item"><a href="https://fy.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interface" title="Interface – Western Frisian" lang="fy" hreflang="fy" data-title="Interface" data-language-autonym="Frysk" data-language-local-name="Western Frisian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Frysk</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-gl mw-list-item"><a href="https://gl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interface" title="Interface – Galician" lang="gl" hreflang="gl" data-title="Interface" data-language-autonym="Galego" data-language-local-name="Galician" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Galego</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-ko mw-list-item"><a href="https://ko.wikipedia.org/wiki/%EC%9D%B8%ED%84%B0%ED%8E%98%EC%9D%B4%EC%8A%A4_(%EC%BB%B4%ED%93%A8%ED%8C%85)" title="인터페이스 (컴퓨팅) – Korean" lang="ko" hreflang="ko" data-title="인터페이스 (컴퓨팅)" data-language-autonym="한국어" data-language-local-name="Korean" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>한국어</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-hy mw-list-item"><a href="https://hy.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D5%84%D5%AB%D5%BB%D5%A5%D6%80%D5%A5%D5%BD" title="Միջերես – Armenian" lang="hy" hreflang="hy" data-title="Միջերես" data-language-autonym="Հայերեն" data-language-local-name="Armenian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Հայերեն</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-hi mw-list-item"><a href="https://hi.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E0%A4%87%E0%A4%82%E0%A4%9F%E0%A4%B0%E0%A4%AB%E0%A4%BC%E0%A5%87%E0%A4%B8_(%E0%A4%85%E0%A4%AD%E0%A4%BF%E0%A4%95%E0%A4%B2%E0%A4%A8)" title="इंटरफ़ेस (अभिकलन) – Hindi" lang="hi" hreflang="hi" data-title="इंटरफ़ेस (अभिकलन)" data-language-autonym="हिन्दी" data-language-local-name="Hindi" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>हिन्दी</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-hsb mw-list-item"><a href="https://hsb.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interfejs" title="Interfejs – Upper Sorbian" lang="hsb" hreflang="hsb" data-title="Interfejs" data-language-autonym="Hornjoserbsce" data-language-local-name="Upper Sorbian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Hornjoserbsce</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-hr mw-list-item"><a href="https://hr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Su%C4%8Delje" title="Sučelje – Croatian" lang="hr" hreflang="hr" data-title="Sučelje" data-language-autonym="Hrvatski" data-language-local-name="Croatian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Hrvatski</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-io mw-list-item"><a href="https://io.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interfacio" title="Interfacio – Ido" lang="io" hreflang="io" data-title="Interfacio" data-language-autonym="Ido" data-language-local-name="Ido" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Ido</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-ia mw-list-item"><a href="https://ia.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interfacie" title="Interfacie – Interlingua" lang="ia" hreflang="ia" data-title="Interfacie" data-language-autonym="Interlingua" data-language-local-name="Interlingua" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Interlingua</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-is mw-list-item"><a href="https://is.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vi%C3%B0m%C3%B3t" title="Viðmót – Icelandic" lang="is" hreflang="is" data-title="Viðmót" data-language-autonym="Íslenska" data-language-local-name="Icelandic" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Íslenska</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-it mw-list-item"><a href="https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interfaccia_(informatica)" title="Interfaccia (informatica) – Italian" lang="it" hreflang="it" data-title="Interfaccia (informatica)" data-language-autonym="Italiano" data-language-local-name="Italian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Italiano</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-he mw-list-item"><a href="https://he.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D7%9E%D7%9E%D7%A9%D7%A7_(%D7%AA%D7%9B%D7%A0%D7%95%D7%AA)" title="ממשק (תכנות) – Hebrew" lang="he" hreflang="he" data-title="ממשק (תכנות)" data-language-autonym="עברית" data-language-local-name="Hebrew" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>עברית</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-kk mw-list-item"><a href="https://kk.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%98%D0%BD%D1%82%D0%B5%D1%80%D1%84%D0%B5%D0%B9%D1%81_(%D1%8D%D0%BB%D0%B5%D0%BA%D1%82%D1%80%D0%BE%D0%BD%D0%B8%D0%BA%D0%B0)" title="Интерфейс (электроника) – Kazakh" lang="kk" hreflang="kk" data-title="Интерфейс (электроника)" data-language-autonym="Қазақша" data-language-local-name="Kazakh" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Қазақша</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-ky mw-list-item"><a href="https://ky.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%9A%D0%BE%D0%BB%D0%B4%D0%BE%D0%BD%D1%83%D1%83%D1%87%D1%83%D0%BD%D1%83%D0%BD_%D0%B8%D0%BD%D1%82%D0%B5%D1%80%D1%84%D0%B5%D0%B9%D1%81%D0%B8" title="Колдонуучунун интерфейси – Kyrgyz" lang="ky" hreflang="ky" data-title="Колдонуучунун интерфейси" data-language-autonym="Кыргызча" data-language-local-name="Kyrgyz" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Кыргызча</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-hu mw-list-item"><a href="https://hu.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interf%C3%A9sz" title="Interfész – Hungarian" lang="hu" hreflang="hu" data-title="Interfész" data-language-autonym="Magyar" data-language-local-name="Hungarian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Magyar</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-ms mw-list-item"><a href="https://ms.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antara_muka" title="Antara muka – Malay" lang="ms" hreflang="ms" data-title="Antara muka" data-language-autonym="Bahasa Melayu" data-language-local-name="Malay" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Bahasa Melayu</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-mdf mw-list-item"><a href="https://mdf.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%98%D0%BD%D1%82%D0%B5%D1%80%D1%84%D0%B5%D0%B9%D1%81%D1%81%D1%8C" title="Интерфейссь – Moksha" lang="mdf" hreflang="mdf" data-title="Интерфейссь" data-language-autonym="Мокшень" data-language-local-name="Moksha" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Мокшень</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-nl mw-list-item"><a href="https://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interface" title="Interface – Dutch" lang="nl" hreflang="nl" data-title="Interface" data-language-autonym="Nederlands" data-language-local-name="Dutch" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Nederlands</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-ja mw-list-item"><a href="https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E3%82%A4%E3%83%B3%E3%82%BF%E3%83%95%E3%82%A7%E3%83%BC%E3%82%B9_(%E6%83%85%E5%A0%B1%E6%8A%80%E8%A1%93)" title="インタフェース (情報技術) – Japanese" lang="ja" hreflang="ja" data-title="インタフェース (情報技術)" data-language-autonym="日本語" data-language-local-name="Japanese" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>日本語</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-no mw-list-item"><a href="https://no.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grensesnitt" title="Grensesnitt – Norwegian Bokmål" lang="nb" hreflang="nb" data-title="Grensesnitt" data-language-autonym="Norsk bokmål" data-language-local-name="Norwegian Bokmål" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Norsk bokmål</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-mhr mw-list-item"><a href="https://mhr.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%98%D0%BD%D1%82%D0%B5%D1%80%D1%84%D0%B5%D0%B9%D1%81" title="Интерфейс – Eastern Mari" lang="mhr" hreflang="mhr" data-title="Интерфейс" data-language-autonym="Олык марий" data-language-local-name="Eastern Mari" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Олык марий</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-uz mw-list-item"><a href="https://uz.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interfeys" title="Interfeys – Uzbek" lang="uz" hreflang="uz" data-title="Interfeys" data-language-autonym="Oʻzbekcha / ўзбекча" data-language-local-name="Uzbek" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Oʻzbekcha / ўзбекча</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-pl mw-list-item"><a href="https://pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interfejs_(urz%C4%85dzenie)" title="Interfejs (urządzenie) – Polish" lang="pl" hreflang="pl" data-title="Interfejs (urządzenie)" data-language-autonym="Polski" data-language-local-name="Polish" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Polski</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-pt mw-list-item"><a href="https://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interface_(ci%C3%AAncia_da_computa%C3%A7%C3%A3o)" title="Interface (ciência da computação) – Portuguese" lang="pt" hreflang="pt" data-title="Interface (ciência da computação)" data-language-autonym="Português" data-language-local-name="Portuguese" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Português</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-ro mw-list-item"><a href="https://ro.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interfa%C8%9B%C4%83" title="Interfață – Romanian" lang="ro" hreflang="ro" data-title="Interfață" data-language-autonym="Română" data-language-local-name="Romanian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Română</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-qu mw-list-item"><a href="https://qu.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chawpin_uya" title="Chawpin uya – Quechua" lang="qu" hreflang="qu" data-title="Chawpin uya" data-language-autonym="Runa Simi" data-language-local-name="Quechua" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Runa Simi</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-ru mw-list-item"><a href="https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%98%D0%BD%D1%82%D0%B5%D1%80%D1%84%D0%B5%D0%B9%D1%81" title="Интерфейс – Russian" lang="ru" hreflang="ru" data-title="Интерфейс" data-language-autonym="Русский" data-language-local-name="Russian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Русский</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-simple mw-list-item"><a href="https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interface" title="Interface – Simple English" lang="en-simple" hreflang="en-simple" data-title="Interface" data-language-autonym="Simple English" data-language-local-name="Simple English" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Simple English</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-sk mw-list-item"><a href="https://sk.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rozhranie_(interface)" title="Rozhranie (interface) – Slovak" lang="sk" hreflang="sk" data-title="Rozhranie (interface)" data-language-autonym="Slovenčina" data-language-local-name="Slovak" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Slovenčina</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-sl mw-list-item"><a href="https://sl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vmesnik" title="Vmesnik – Slovenian" lang="sl" hreflang="sl" data-title="Vmesnik" data-language-autonym="Slovenščina" data-language-local-name="Slovenian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Slovenščina</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-ckb mw-list-item"><a href="https://ckb.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D9%86%DB%8E%D9%88%D8%A7%D9%86%DB%95_(%DA%A9%DB%86%D9%85%D9%BE%DB%8C%D9%88%D8%AA%DB%8C%D9%86%DA%AF)" title="نێوانە (کۆمپیوتینگ) – Central Kurdish" lang="ckb" hreflang="ckb" data-title="نێوانە (کۆمپیوتینگ)" data-language-autonym="کوردی" data-language-local-name="Central Kurdish" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>کوردی</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-sr mw-list-item"><a href="https://sr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interfejs" title="Interfejs – Serbian" lang="sr" hreflang="sr" data-title="Interfejs" data-language-autonym="Српски / srpski" data-language-local-name="Serbian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Српски / srpski</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-sv mw-list-item"><a href="https://sv.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gr%C3%A4nssnitt" title="Gränssnitt – Swedish" lang="sv" hreflang="sv" data-title="Gränssnitt" data-language-autonym="Svenska" data-language-local-name="Swedish" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Svenska</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-ta mw-list-item"><a href="https://ta.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E0%AE%87%E0%AE%9F%E0%AF%88%E0%AE%AE%E0%AF%81%E0%AE%95%E0%AE%AE%E0%AF%8D" title="இடைமுகம் – Tamil" lang="ta" hreflang="ta" data-title="இடைமுகம்" data-language-autonym="தமிழ்" data-language-local-name="Tamil" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>தமிழ்</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-th mw-list-item"><a href="https://th.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E0%B8%AA%E0%B9%88%E0%B8%A7%E0%B8%99%E0%B8%95%E0%B9%88%E0%B8%AD%E0%B8%9B%E0%B8%A3%E0%B8%B0%E0%B8%AA%E0%B8%B2%E0%B8%99" title="ส่วนต่อประสาน – Thai" lang="th" hreflang="th" data-title="ส่วนต่อประสาน" data-language-autonym="ไทย" data-language-local-name="Thai" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>ไทย</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-uk mw-list-item"><a href="https://uk.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%86%D0%BD%D1%82%D0%B5%D1%80%D1%84%D0%B5%D0%B9%D1%81" title="Інтерфейс – Ukrainian" lang="uk" hreflang="uk" data-title="Інтерфейс" data-language-autonym="Українська" data-language-local-name="Ukrainian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Українська</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-ur mw-list-item"><a href="https://ur.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D8%B3%D8%B7%D8%AD_%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A8%DB%8C%D9%86_(%DA%A9%D9%85%D9%BE%DB%8C%D9%88%D9%B9%D8%B1)" title="سطح البین (کمپیوٹر) – Urdu" lang="ur" hreflang="ur" data-title="سطح البین (کمپیوٹر)" data-language-autonym="اردو" data-language-local-name="Urdu" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>اردو</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-vi mw-list-item"><a href="https://vi.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giao_di%E1%BB%87n_(%C4%91i%E1%BB%87n_to%C3%A1n)" title="Giao diện (điện toán) – Vietnamese" lang="vi" hreflang="vi" data-title="Giao diện (điện toán)" data-language-autonym="Tiếng Việt" data-language-local-name="Vietnamese" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Tiếng Việt</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-wa mw-list-item"><a href="https://wa.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eterface" title="Eterface – Walloon" lang="wa" hreflang="wa" data-title="Eterface" data-language-autonym="Walon" data-language-local-name="Walloon" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Walon</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-zh-yue mw-list-item"><a href="https://zh-yue.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E9%9B%BB%E8%85%A6%E4%BB%8B%E9%9D%A2" title="電腦介面 – Cantonese" lang="yue" hreflang="yue" data-title="電腦介面" data-language-autonym="粵語" data-language-local-name="Cantonese" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>粵語</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-zh mw-list-item"><a href="https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E4%BB%8B%E9%9D%A2_(%E8%B3%87%E8%A8%8A%E7%A7%91%E6%8A%80)" title="介面 (資訊科技) – Chinese" lang="zh" hreflang="zh" data-title="介面 (資訊科技)" data-language-autonym="中文" data-language-local-name="Chinese" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>中文</span></a></li> </ul> <div class="after-portlet after-portlet-lang"><span class="wb-langlinks-edit wb-langlinks-link"><a href="https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Special:EntityPage/Q23808#sitelinks-wikipedia" title="Edit interlanguage links" class="wbc-editpage">Edit links</a></span></div> </div> </div> </div> </header> <div class="vector-page-toolbar"> <div class="vector-page-toolbar-container"> <div id="left-navigation"> <nav aria-label="Namespaces"> <div id="p-associated-pages" class="vector-menu vector-menu-tabs mw-portlet mw-portlet-associated-pages" > <div class="vector-menu-content"> <ul class="vector-menu-content-list"> <li id="ca-nstab-main" class="selected vector-tab-noicon mw-list-item"><a href="/wiki/Interface_(computing)" title="View the content page [c]" accesskey="c"><span>Article</span></a></li><li id="ca-talk" class="vector-tab-noicon mw-list-item"><a href="/wiki/Talk:Interface_(computing)" rel="discussion" title="Discuss improvements to the content page [t]" accesskey="t"><span>Talk</span></a></li> </ul> </div> </div> <div id="vector-variants-dropdown" class="vector-dropdown emptyPortlet" > <input type="checkbox" id="vector-variants-dropdown-checkbox" role="button" aria-haspopup="true" data-event-name="ui.dropdown-vector-variants-dropdown" class="vector-dropdown-checkbox " aria-label="Change language variant" > <label id="vector-variants-dropdown-label" for="vector-variants-dropdown-checkbox" class="vector-dropdown-label cdx-button cdx-button--fake-button cdx-button--fake-button--enabled cdx-button--weight-quiet" aria-hidden="true" ><span class="vector-dropdown-label-text">English</span> </label> <div class="vector-dropdown-content"> <div id="p-variants" class="vector-menu mw-portlet mw-portlet-variants emptyPortlet" > <div class="vector-menu-content"> <ul class="vector-menu-content-list"> </ul> </div> </div> </div> </div> </nav> </div> <div id="right-navigation" class="vector-collapsible"> <nav aria-label="Views"> <div id="p-views" class="vector-menu vector-menu-tabs mw-portlet mw-portlet-views" > <div class="vector-menu-content"> <ul class="vector-menu-content-list"> <li id="ca-view" class="selected vector-tab-noicon mw-list-item"><a href="/wiki/Interface_(computing)"><span>Read</span></a></li><li id="ca-edit" class="vector-tab-noicon mw-list-item"><a href="/w/index.php?title=Interface_(computing)&action=edit" title="Edit this page [e]" accesskey="e"><span>Edit</span></a></li><li id="ca-history" class="vector-tab-noicon mw-list-item"><a href="/w/index.php?title=Interface_(computing)&action=history" title="Past revisions of this page [h]" accesskey="h"><span>View history</span></a></li> </ul> </div> </div> </nav> <nav class="vector-page-tools-landmark" aria-label="Page tools"> <div id="vector-page-tools-dropdown" class="vector-dropdown vector-page-tools-dropdown" > <input type="checkbox" id="vector-page-tools-dropdown-checkbox" role="button" aria-haspopup="true" data-event-name="ui.dropdown-vector-page-tools-dropdown" class="vector-dropdown-checkbox " aria-label="Tools" > <label id="vector-page-tools-dropdown-label" for="vector-page-tools-dropdown-checkbox" class="vector-dropdown-label cdx-button cdx-button--fake-button cdx-button--fake-button--enabled cdx-button--weight-quiet" aria-hidden="true" ><span class="vector-dropdown-label-text">Tools</span> </label> <div class="vector-dropdown-content"> <div id="vector-page-tools-unpinned-container" class="vector-unpinned-container"> <div id="vector-page-tools" class="vector-page-tools vector-pinnable-element"> <div class="vector-pinnable-header vector-page-tools-pinnable-header vector-pinnable-header-unpinned" data-feature-name="page-tools-pinned" data-pinnable-element-id="vector-page-tools" data-pinned-container-id="vector-page-tools-pinned-container" data-unpinned-container-id="vector-page-tools-unpinned-container" > <div class="vector-pinnable-header-label">Tools</div> <button class="vector-pinnable-header-toggle-button vector-pinnable-header-pin-button" data-event-name="pinnable-header.vector-page-tools.pin">move to sidebar</button> <button class="vector-pinnable-header-toggle-button vector-pinnable-header-unpin-button" data-event-name="pinnable-header.vector-page-tools.unpin">hide</button> </div> <div id="p-cactions" class="vector-menu mw-portlet mw-portlet-cactions emptyPortlet vector-has-collapsible-items" title="More options" > <div class="vector-menu-heading"> Actions </div> <div class="vector-menu-content"> <ul class="vector-menu-content-list"> <li id="ca-more-view" class="selected vector-more-collapsible-item mw-list-item"><a href="/wiki/Interface_(computing)"><span>Read</span></a></li><li id="ca-more-edit" class="vector-more-collapsible-item mw-list-item"><a href="/w/index.php?title=Interface_(computing)&action=edit" title="Edit this page [e]" accesskey="e"><span>Edit</span></a></li><li id="ca-more-history" class="vector-more-collapsible-item mw-list-item"><a href="/w/index.php?title=Interface_(computing)&action=history"><span>View history</span></a></li> </ul> </div> </div> <div id="p-tb" class="vector-menu mw-portlet mw-portlet-tb" > <div class="vector-menu-heading"> General </div> <div class="vector-menu-content"> <ul class="vector-menu-content-list"> <li id="t-whatlinkshere" class="mw-list-item"><a href="/wiki/Special:WhatLinksHere/Interface_(computing)" title="List of all English Wikipedia pages containing links to this page [j]" accesskey="j"><span>What links here</span></a></li><li id="t-recentchangeslinked" class="mw-list-item"><a href="/wiki/Special:RecentChangesLinked/Interface_(computing)" rel="nofollow" title="Recent changes in pages linked from this page [k]" accesskey="k"><span>Related changes</span></a></li><li id="t-upload" class="mw-list-item"><a href="//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:File_Upload_Wizard" title="Upload files [u]" accesskey="u"><span>Upload file</span></a></li><li id="t-permalink" class="mw-list-item"><a href="/w/index.php?title=Interface_(computing)&oldid=1280740308" title="Permanent link to this revision of this page"><span>Permanent link</span></a></li><li id="t-info" class="mw-list-item"><a href="/w/index.php?title=Interface_(computing)&action=info" title="More information about this page"><span>Page information</span></a></li><li id="t-cite" class="mw-list-item"><a href="/w/index.php?title=Special:CiteThisPage&page=Interface_%28computing%29&id=1280740308&wpFormIdentifier=titleform" title="Information on how to cite this page"><span>Cite this page</span></a></li><li id="t-urlshortener" class="mw-list-item"><a href="/w/index.php?title=Special:UrlShortener&url=https%3A%2F%2Fen.wikipedia.org%2Fwiki%2FInterface_%28computing%29"><span>Get shortened URL</span></a></li><li id="t-urlshortener-qrcode" class="mw-list-item"><a href="/w/index.php?title=Special:QrCode&url=https%3A%2F%2Fen.wikipedia.org%2Fwiki%2FInterface_%28computing%29"><span>Download QR code</span></a></li> </ul> </div> </div> <div id="p-coll-print_export" class="vector-menu mw-portlet mw-portlet-coll-print_export" > <div class="vector-menu-heading"> Print/export </div> <div class="vector-menu-content"> <ul class="vector-menu-content-list"> <li id="coll-download-as-rl" class="mw-list-item"><a href="/w/index.php?title=Special:DownloadAsPdf&page=Interface_%28computing%29&action=show-download-screen" title="Download this page as a PDF file"><span>Download as PDF</span></a></li><li id="t-print" class="mw-list-item"><a href="/w/index.php?title=Interface_(computing)&printable=yes" title="Printable version of this page [p]" accesskey="p"><span>Printable version</span></a></li> </ul> </div> </div> <div id="p-wikibase-otherprojects" class="vector-menu mw-portlet mw-portlet-wikibase-otherprojects" > <div class="vector-menu-heading"> In other projects </div> <div class="vector-menu-content"> <ul class="vector-menu-content-list"> <li class="wb-otherproject-link wb-otherproject-commons mw-list-item"><a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Interfaces" hreflang="en"><span>Wikimedia Commons</span></a></li><li id="t-wikibase" class="wb-otherproject-link wb-otherproject-wikibase-dataitem mw-list-item"><a href="https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Special:EntityPage/Q23808" title="Structured data on this page hosted by Wikidata [g]" accesskey="g"><span>Wikidata item</span></a></li> </ul> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </nav> </div> </div> </div> <div class="vector-column-end"> <div class="vector-sticky-pinned-container"> <nav class="vector-page-tools-landmark" aria-label="Page tools"> <div id="vector-page-tools-pinned-container" class="vector-pinned-container"> </div> </nav> <nav class="vector-appearance-landmark" aria-label="Appearance"> <div id="vector-appearance-pinned-container" class="vector-pinned-container"> <div id="vector-appearance" class="vector-appearance vector-pinnable-element"> <div class="vector-pinnable-header vector-appearance-pinnable-header vector-pinnable-header-pinned" data-feature-name="appearance-pinned" data-pinnable-element-id="vector-appearance" data-pinned-container-id="vector-appearance-pinned-container" data-unpinned-container-id="vector-appearance-unpinned-container" > <div class="vector-pinnable-header-label">Appearance</div> <button class="vector-pinnable-header-toggle-button vector-pinnable-header-pin-button" data-event-name="pinnable-header.vector-appearance.pin">move to sidebar</button> <button class="vector-pinnable-header-toggle-button vector-pinnable-header-unpin-button" data-event-name="pinnable-header.vector-appearance.unpin">hide</button> </div> </div> </div> </nav> </div> </div> <div id="bodyContent" class="vector-body" aria-labelledby="firstHeading" data-mw-ve-target-container> <div class="vector-body-before-content"> <div class="mw-indicators"> </div> <div id="siteSub" class="noprint">From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia</div> </div> <div id="contentSub"><div id="mw-content-subtitle"></div></div> <div id="mw-content-text" class="mw-body-content"><div class="mw-content-ltr mw-parser-output" lang="en" dir="ltr"><div class="shortdescription nomobile noexcerpt noprint searchaux" style="display:none">Shared boundary between elements of a computing system</div> <p>In computing, an <b>interface</b> is a shared boundary across which two or more separate components of a <a href="/wiki/Computer_system" class="mw-redirect" title="Computer system">computer system</a> exchange information. The exchange can be between <a href="/wiki/Software" title="Software">software</a>, <a href="/wiki/Computer_hardware" title="Computer hardware">computer hardware</a>, <a href="/wiki/Peripheral" title="Peripheral">peripheral devices</a>, <a href="/wiki/User_interface" title="User interface">humans</a>, and combinations of these.<sup id="cite_ref-HookwayInterface14_1-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-HookwayInterface14-1"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>1<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> Some computer hardware devices, such as a <a href="/wiki/Touchscreen" title="Touchscreen">touchscreen</a>, can both send and receive data through the interface, while others such as a mouse or microphone may only provide an interface to send data to a given system.<sup id="cite_ref-2" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-2"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>2<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p> <meta property="mw:PageProp/toc" /> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Hardware_interfaces">Hardware interfaces</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Interface_(computing)&action=edit&section=1" title="Edit section: Hardware interfaces"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <figure class="mw-default-size" typeof="mw:File/Thumb"><a href="/wiki/File:RJ-45_Ethernet_socket_on_Lenovo_T410_Laptop.jpg" class="mw-file-description"><img src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/09/RJ-45_Ethernet_socket_on_Lenovo_T410_Laptop.jpg/310px-RJ-45_Ethernet_socket_on_Lenovo_T410_Laptop.jpg" decoding="async" width="310" height="120" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/09/RJ-45_Ethernet_socket_on_Lenovo_T410_Laptop.jpg/465px-RJ-45_Ethernet_socket_on_Lenovo_T410_Laptop.jpg 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/09/RJ-45_Ethernet_socket_on_Lenovo_T410_Laptop.jpg/620px-RJ-45_Ethernet_socket_on_Lenovo_T410_Laptop.jpg 2x" data-file-width="3226" data-file-height="1244" /></a><figcaption>Hardware interfaces of a <a href="/wiki/Laptop" title="Laptop">laptop</a> computer: <a href="/wiki/Ethernet" title="Ethernet">Ethernet</a> network socket (center), to the left a part of the <a href="/wiki/Video_Graphics_Array" title="Video Graphics Array">VGA</a> port, to the right (upper) a <a href="/wiki/Display_port" class="mw-redirect" title="Display port">display port</a> socket, to the right (lower) a <a href="/wiki/Universal_Serial_Bus" class="mw-redirect" title="Universal Serial Bus">USB</a>-A socket.</figcaption></figure> <style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1236090951">.mw-parser-output .hatnote{font-style:italic}.mw-parser-output div.hatnote{padding-left:1.6em;margin-bottom:0.5em}.mw-parser-output .hatnote i{font-style:normal}.mw-parser-output .hatnote+link+.hatnote{margin-top:-0.5em}@media print{body.ns-0 .mw-parser-output .hatnote{display:none!important}}</style><div role="note" class="hatnote navigation-not-searchable">Main article: <a href="/wiki/Hardware_interface" class="mw-redirect" title="Hardware interface">Hardware interface</a></div> <p>Hardware interfaces exist in many components, such as the various <a href="/wiki/Bus_(computing)" title="Bus (computing)">buses</a>, <a href="/wiki/Computer_data_storage" title="Computer data storage">storage devices</a>, other <a href="/wiki/I/O" class="mw-redirect" title="I/O">I/O</a> devices, etc. A hardware interface is described by the mechanical, electrical, and logical signals at the interface and the protocol for sequencing them (sometimes called signaling).<sup id="cite_ref-87Blaauw_3-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-87Blaauw-3"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>3<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> A standard interface, such as <a href="/wiki/SCSI" title="SCSI">SCSI</a>, decouples the design and introduction of computing hardware, such as <a href="/wiki/I/O" class="mw-redirect" title="I/O">I/O</a> devices, from the design and introduction of other components of a computing system, thereby allowing users and manufacturers great flexibility in the implementation of computing systems.<sup id="cite_ref-87Blaauw_3-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-87Blaauw-3"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>3<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> Hardware interfaces can be <a href="/wiki/Parallel_communication" title="Parallel communication">parallel</a> with several electrical connections carrying parts of the data simultaneously or <a href="/wiki/Serial_communication" title="Serial communication">serial</a> where data are sent one <a href="/wiki/Bit" title="Bit">bit</a> at a time.<sup id="cite_ref-GovindarajaluIBM08_4-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-GovindarajaluIBM08-4"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>4<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Software_interfaces">Software interfaces</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Interface_(computing)&action=edit&section=2" title="Edit section: Software interfaces"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1236090951" /><div role="note" class="hatnote navigation-not-searchable">See also: <a href="/wiki/Application_binary_interface" title="Application binary interface">Application binary interface</a> and <a href="/wiki/Application_programming_interface" class="mw-redirect" title="Application programming interface">Application programming interface</a></div> <p>A software interface may refer to a wide range of different types of interfaces at different "levels". For example, an operating system may interface with pieces of hardware. <a href="/wiki/Application_software" title="Application software">Applications</a> or <a href="/wiki/Computer_program" title="Computer program">programs</a> running on the operating system may need to interact via data <a href="/wiki/Stream_(computing)" title="Stream (computing)">streams</a>, filters, and pipelines.<sup id="cite_ref-BuyyaMastering13_5-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-BuyyaMastering13-5"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>5<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> In <a href="/wiki/Object-oriented_programming" title="Object-oriented programming">object oriented programs</a>, objects within an application may need to interact via <a href="/wiki/Method_(computer_science)" class="mw-redirect" title="Method (computer science)">methods</a>.<sup id="cite_ref-PooObject08_6-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-PooObject08-6"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>6<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="In_practice">In practice</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Interface_(computing)&action=edit&section=3" title="Edit section: In practice"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>A key principle of design is to prohibit access to all resources by default, allowing access only through well-defined entry points, i.e., interfaces.<sup id="cite_ref-7" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-7"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>7<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> Software interfaces provide access to computer resources (such as memory, CPU, storage, etc.) of the underlying computer system; direct access (i.e., not through well-designed interfaces) to such resources by software can have major ramifications—sometimes disastrous ones—for functionality and stability.<sup class="noprint Inline-Template Template-Fact" style="white-space:nowrap;">[<i><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed" title="Wikipedia:Citation needed"><span title="This claim needs references to reliable sources. (June 2018)">citation needed</span></a></i>]</sup> </p><p>Interfaces between software components can provide <a href="/wiki/Constant_(computer_science)" class="mw-redirect" title="Constant (computer science)">constants</a>, <a href="/wiki/Data_type" title="Data type">data types</a>, types of <a href="/wiki/Subroutine" class="mw-redirect" title="Subroutine">procedures</a>, <a href="/wiki/Exception_handling" title="Exception handling">exception</a> specifications, and <a href="/wiki/Method_signature" class="mw-redirect" title="Method signature">method signatures</a>. Sometimes, public <a href="/wiki/Variable_(programming)" class="mw-redirect" title="Variable (programming)">variables</a> are also defined as part of an interface.<sup id="cite_ref-PattersonComputer04_8-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-PattersonComputer04-8"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>8<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>The interface of a software module <i>A</i> is deliberately defined separately from the <a href="/wiki/Implementation_(computer_science)" class="mw-redirect" title="Implementation (computer science)">implementation</a> of that module. The latter contains the actual code of the procedures and methods described in the interface, as well as other "private" variables, procedures, etc. Another software module <i>B</i>, for example the <a href="/wiki/Client_(computing)" title="Client (computing)">client</a> to <i>A</i>, that interacts with <i>A</i> is forced to do so only through the published interface. One practical advantage of this arrangement is that replacing the implementation of <i>A</i> with another implementation of the same interface should not cause <i>B</i> to fail—how <i>A</i> internally meets the requirements of the interface is not relevant to <i>B</i>, which <a href="/wiki/Separation_of_concerns" title="Separation of concerns">is only concerned</a> with the specifications of the interface. (See also <a href="/wiki/Liskov_substitution_principle" title="Liskov substitution principle">Liskov substitution principle</a>.)<sup class="noprint Inline-Template Template-Fact" style="white-space:nowrap;">[<i><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed" title="Wikipedia:Citation needed"><span title="This claim needs references to reliable sources. (June 2018)">citation needed</span></a></i>]</sup> </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="In_object-oriented_languages">In object-oriented languages</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Interface_(computing)&action=edit&section=4" title="Edit section: In object-oriented languages"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1236090951" /><div role="note" class="hatnote navigation-not-searchable">Main articles: <a href="/wiki/Interface_(object-oriented_programming)" title="Interface (object-oriented programming)">Interface (object-oriented programming)</a> and <a href="/wiki/Concept_(generic_programming)" title="Concept (generic programming)">Concept (generic programming)</a></div> <p>In some <a href="/wiki/Object-oriented" class="mw-redirect" title="Object-oriented">object-oriented</a> languages, especially those without full <a href="/wiki/Multiple_inheritance" title="Multiple inheritance">multiple inheritance</a>, the term <i>interface</i> is used to define an <a href="/wiki/Abstract_data_type" title="Abstract data type">abstract type</a> that acts as an <a href="/wiki/Abstraction" title="Abstraction">abstraction</a> of a <a href="/wiki/Class_(computer_science)" class="mw-redirect" title="Class (computer science)">class</a>. It contains no data, but defines behaviours as <a href="/wiki/Method_(computer_science)" class="mw-redirect" title="Method (computer science)">method</a> signatures. A <a href="/wiki/Class_(computer_science)" class="mw-redirect" title="Class (computer science)">class</a> having code and data for all the methods corresponding to that interface and declaring so is said to <i>implement</i> that interface.<sup id="cite_ref-9" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-9"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>9<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> Furthermore, even in single-inheritance-languages, one can implement multiple interfaces, and hence can <i>be</i> of different types at the same time.<sup id="cite_ref-10" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-10"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>10<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>An interface is thus a <a href="/wiki/Data_type" title="Data type">type</a> definition; anywhere an object can be exchanged (for example, in a <a href="/wiki/Function_(computer_science)" class="mw-redirect" title="Function (computer science)">function</a> or <a href="/wiki/Method_(computer_science)" class="mw-redirect" title="Method (computer science)">method</a> call) the <i>type</i> of the object to be exchanged can be defined in terms of one of its implemented <i>interface</i>s or base-classes rather than specifying the specific <a href="/wiki/Class_(computer_science)" class="mw-redirect" title="Class (computer science)">class</a>. This approach means that any class that implements that interface can be used.<sup class="noprint Inline-Template Template-Fact" style="white-space:nowrap;">[<i><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed" title="Wikipedia:Citation needed"><span title="This claim needs references to reliable sources. (June 2018)">citation needed</span></a></i>]</sup> For example, a <a href="/wiki/Skeleton_(computer_programming)" title="Skeleton (computer programming)">dummy implementation</a> may be used to allow development to progress before the final implementation is available. In another case, a <a href="/wiki/Test-driven_development#Fakes,_mocks_and_integration_tests" title="Test-driven development">fake or mock</a> implementation may be substituted during testing. Such <a href="/wiki/Method_stub" title="Method stub">stub</a> implementations are replaced by real code later in the development process. </p><p>Usually, a method defined in an interface contains no code and thus cannot itself be called; it must be implemented by non-abstract code to be run when it is invoked.<sup class="noprint Inline-Template Template-Fact" style="white-space:nowrap;">[<i><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed" title="Wikipedia:Citation needed"><span title="This claim needs references to reliable sources. (June 2018)">citation needed</span></a></i>]</sup> An interface called "<code><a href="/wiki/Stack_(data_structure)" class="mw-redirect" title="Stack (data structure)">Stack</a></code>" might define two methods: <code>push()</code> and <code>pop()</code>. It can be implemented in different ways, for example, <code>FastStack</code> and <code>GenericStack</code>—the first being fast, working with a data structure of fixed size, and the second using a data structure that can be resized, but at the cost of somewhat lower speed. </p><p>Though interfaces can contain many methods, they may contain only one or even none at all. For example, the <a href="/wiki/Java_(programming_language)" title="Java (programming language)">Java</a> language defines the interface <code class="mw-highlight mw-highlight-lang-java mw-content-ltr" dir="ltr"><span class="n">Readable</span></code> that has the single <code class="mw-highlight mw-highlight-lang-java mw-content-ltr" dir="ltr"><span class="n">read</span><span class="p">()</span></code> method; various implementations are used for different purposes, including <code class="mw-highlight mw-highlight-lang-java mw-content-ltr" dir="ltr"><span class="n">BufferedReader</span></code>, <code class="mw-highlight mw-highlight-lang-java mw-content-ltr" dir="ltr"><span class="n">FileReader</span></code>, <code class="mw-highlight mw-highlight-lang-java mw-content-ltr" dir="ltr"><span class="n">InputStreamReader</span></code>, <code class="mw-highlight mw-highlight-lang-java mw-content-ltr" dir="ltr"><span class="n">PipedReader</span></code>, and <code class="mw-highlight mw-highlight-lang-java mw-content-ltr" dir="ltr"><span class="n">StringReader</span></code>. <a href="/wiki/Marker_interface_pattern" title="Marker interface pattern">Marker interfaces</a> like <code class="mw-highlight mw-highlight-lang-java mw-content-ltr" dir="ltr"><span class="n">Serializable</span></code> contain no methods at all and serve to provide run-time information to generic processing using <a href="/wiki/Reflection_(computer_programming)" class="mw-redirect" title="Reflection (computer programming)">Reflection</a>.<sup id="cite_ref-11" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-11"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>11<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Programming_to_the_interface">Programming to the interface</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Interface_(computing)&action=edit&section=5" title="Edit section: Programming to the interface"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>The use of interfaces allows for a programming style called <i>programming to the interface</i>. The idea behind this approach is to base programming logic on the interfaces of the objects used, rather than on internal implementation details. Programming to the interface reduces dependency on implementation specifics and makes code more reusable.<sup id="cite_ref-12" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-12"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>12<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>Pushing this idea to the extreme, <a href="/wiki/Inversion_of_control" title="Inversion of control">inversion of control</a> leaves the <i>context</i> to inject the code with the specific implementations of the interface that will be used to perform the work. </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="User_interfaces">User interfaces</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Interface_(computing)&action=edit&section=6" title="Edit section: User interfaces"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1236090951" /><div role="note" class="hatnote navigation-not-searchable">Main article: <a href="/wiki/User_interface" title="User interface">User interface</a></div> <p>A <b>user interface</b> is a point of interaction between a computer and humans; it includes any number of <a href="/wiki/Modality_(human%E2%80%93computer_interaction)" title="Modality (human–computer interaction)">modalities</a> of <a href="/wiki/Human-computer_interaction" class="mw-redirect" title="Human-computer interaction">interaction</a> (such as graphics, sound, position, movement, etc.) where data is transferred between the user and the computer system. </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="See_also">See also</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Interface_(computing)&action=edit&section=7" title="Edit section: See also"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Abstraction_inversion" title="Abstraction inversion">Abstraction inversion</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Application_binary_interface" title="Application binary interface">Application binary interface</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Application_programming_interface" class="mw-redirect" title="Application programming interface">Application programming interface</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Business_Interoperability_Interface" class="mw-redirect" title="Business Interoperability Interface">Business Interoperability Interface</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Computer_bus" class="mw-redirect" title="Computer bus">Computer bus</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Hard_disk_drive_interface" title="Hard disk drive interface">Hard disk drive interface</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Implementation_(computer_science)" class="mw-redirect" title="Implementation (computer science)">Implementation (computer science)</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Implementation_inheritance" class="mw-redirect" title="Implementation inheritance">Implementation inheritance</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Interoperability" title="Interoperability">Interoperability</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Inheritance_semantics" class="mw-redirect" title="Inheritance semantics">Inheritance semantics</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Modular_programming" title="Modular programming">Modular programming</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Software_componentry" class="mw-redirect" title="Software componentry">Software componentry</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Virtual_inheritance" title="Virtual inheritance">Virtual inheritance</a></li></ul> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="References">References</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Interface_(computing)&action=edit&section=8" title="Edit section: References"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1239543626">.mw-parser-output .reflist{margin-bottom:0.5em;list-style-type:decimal}@media screen{.mw-parser-output .reflist{font-size:90%}}.mw-parser-output .reflist .references{font-size:100%;margin-bottom:0;list-style-type:inherit}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns-2{column-width:30em}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns-3{column-width:25em}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns{margin-top:0.3em}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns ol{margin-top:0}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns li{page-break-inside:avoid;break-inside:avoid-column}.mw-parser-output .reflist-upper-alpha{list-style-type:upper-alpha}.mw-parser-output .reflist-upper-roman{list-style-type:upper-roman}.mw-parser-output .reflist-lower-alpha{list-style-type:lower-alpha}.mw-parser-output .reflist-lower-greek{list-style-type:lower-greek}.mw-parser-output .reflist-lower-roman{list-style-type:lower-roman}</style><div class="reflist"> <div class="mw-references-wrap mw-references-columns"><ol class="references"> <li id="cite_note-HookwayInterface14-1"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-HookwayInterface14_1-0">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1238218222">.mw-parser-output cite.citation{font-style:inherit;word-wrap:break-word}.mw-parser-output .citation q{quotes:"\"""\"""'""'"}.mw-parser-output .citation:target{background-color:rgba(0,127,255,0.133)}.mw-parser-output .id-lock-free.id-lock-free a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/65/Lock-green.svg")right 0.1em center/9px no-repeat}.mw-parser-output .id-lock-limited.id-lock-limited a,.mw-parser-output .id-lock-registration.id-lock-registration a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d6/Lock-gray-alt-2.svg")right 0.1em center/9px no-repeat}.mw-parser-output .id-lock-subscription.id-lock-subscription a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/aa/Lock-red-alt-2.svg")right 0.1em center/9px no-repeat}.mw-parser-output .cs1-ws-icon a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4c/Wikisource-logo.svg")right 0.1em center/12px no-repeat}body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .id-lock-free a,body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .id-lock-limited a,body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .id-lock-registration a,body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .id-lock-subscription a,body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .cs1-ws-icon a{background-size:contain;padding:0 1em 0 0}.mw-parser-output .cs1-code{color:inherit;background:inherit;border:none;padding:inherit}.mw-parser-output .cs1-hidden-error{display:none;color:var(--color-error,#d33)}.mw-parser-output .cs1-visible-error{color:var(--color-error,#d33)}.mw-parser-output .cs1-maint{display:none;color:#085;margin-left:0.3em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-left{padding-left:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-right{padding-right:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .citation .mw-selflink{font-weight:inherit}@media screen{.mw-parser-output .cs1-format{font-size:95%}html.skin-theme-clientpref-night .mw-parser-output .cs1-maint{color:#18911f}}@media screen and (prefers-color-scheme:dark){html.skin-theme-clientpref-os .mw-parser-output .cs1-maint{color:#18911f}}</style><cite id="CITEREFHookway,_B.2014" class="citation book cs1">Hookway, B. (2014). "Chapter 1: The Subject of the Interface". <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://books.google.com/books?id=BQM_AwAAQBAJ"><i>Interface</i></a>. MIT Press. pp. <span class="nowrap">1–</span>58. <a href="/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISBN (identifier)">ISBN</a> <a href="/wiki/Special:BookSources/9780262525503" title="Special:BookSources/9780262525503"><bdi>9780262525503</bdi></a>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=bookitem&rft.atitle=Chapter+1%3A+The+Subject+of+the+Interface&rft.btitle=Interface&rft.pages=%3Cspan+class%3D%22nowrap%22%3E1-%3C%2Fspan%3E58&rft.pub=MIT+Press&rft.date=2014&rft.isbn=9780262525503&rft.au=Hookway%2C+B.&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fbooks.google.com%2Fbooks%3Fid%3DBQM_AwAAQBAJ&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AInterface+%28computing%29" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-2"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-2">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222" /><cite class="citation encyclopaedia cs1"><i>IEEE 100 - The Authoritative Dictionary Of IEEE Standards Terms</i>. NYC, NY, USA: IEEE Press. 2000. pp. <span class="nowrap">574–</span>575. <a href="/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISBN (identifier)">ISBN</a> <a href="/wiki/Special:BookSources/9780738126012" title="Special:BookSources/9780738126012"><bdi>9780738126012</bdi></a>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=book&rft.btitle=IEEE+100+-+The+Authoritative+Dictionary+Of+IEEE+Standards+Terms&rft.place=NYC%2C+NY%2C+USA&rft.pages=%3Cspan+class%3D%22nowrap%22%3E574-%3C%2Fspan%3E575&rft.pub=IEEE+Press&rft.date=2000&rft.isbn=9780738126012&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AInterface+%28computing%29" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-87Blaauw-3"><span class="mw-cite-backlink">^ <a href="#cite_ref-87Blaauw_3-0"><sup><i><b>a</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-87Blaauw_3-1"><sup><i><b>b</b></i></sup></a></span> <span class="reference-text"> <link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222" /><cite id="CITEREFBlaauwBrooks,_Jr.1997" class="citation cs2">Blaauw, Gerritt A.; Brooks, Jr., Frederick P. (1997), "Chapter 8.6, Device Interfaces", <i>Computer Architecture-Concepts and Evolution</i>, Addison-Wesley, pp. <span class="nowrap">489–</span>493, <a href="/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISBN (identifier)">ISBN</a> <a href="/wiki/Special:BookSources/0-201-10557-8" title="Special:BookSources/0-201-10557-8"><bdi>0-201-10557-8</bdi></a></cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=bookitem&rft.atitle=Chapter+8.6%2C+Device+Interfaces&rft.btitle=Computer+Architecture-Concepts+and+Evolution&rft.pages=%3Cspan+class%3D%22nowrap%22%3E489-%3C%2Fspan%3E493&rft.pub=Addison-Wesley&rft.date=1997&rft.isbn=0-201-10557-8&rft.aulast=Blaauw&rft.aufirst=Gerritt+A.&rft.au=Brooks%2C+Jr.%2C+Frederick+P.&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AInterface+%28computing%29" class="Z3988"></span> See also: <link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222" /><cite id="CITEREFPattersonHennessey2005" class="citation cs2">Patterson, David A.; Hennessey, John L. (2005), "Chapter 8.5, Interfacing I/O Devices to the Processor, Memory and Operating System", <span class="id-lock-registration" title="Free registration required"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://archive.org/details/isbn_9781558606043/page/588"><i>Computer Organization and Design - The Hardware/Software Interface, Third Edition</i></a></span>, Morgan Kaufmann, pp. <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://archive.org/details/isbn_9781558606043/page/588">588–596</a>, <a href="/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISBN (identifier)">ISBN</a> <a href="/wiki/Special:BookSources/1-55860-604-1" title="Special:BookSources/1-55860-604-1"><bdi>1-55860-604-1</bdi></a></cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=bookitem&rft.atitle=Chapter+8.5%2C+Interfacing+I%2FO+Devices+to+the+Processor%2C+Memory+and+Operating+System&rft.btitle=Computer+Organization+and+Design+-+The+Hardware%2FSoftware+Interface%2C+Third+Edition&rft.pages=588-596&rft.pub=Morgan+Kaufmann&rft.date=2005&rft.isbn=1-55860-604-1&rft.aulast=Patterson&rft.aufirst=David+A.&rft.au=Hennessey%2C+John+L.&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Farchive.org%2Fdetails%2Fisbn_9781558606043%2Fpage%2F588&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AInterface+%28computing%29" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-GovindarajaluIBM08-4"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-GovindarajaluIBM08_4-0">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222" /><cite id="CITEREFGovindarajalu,_B.2008" class="citation book cs1">Govindarajalu, B. (2008). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://books.google.com/books?id=Hyl8SA1eHzIC&pg=PA142">"3.15 Peripheral Interfaces and Controllers - OG"</a>. <i>IBM PC And Clones: Hardware, Troubleshooting And Maintenance</i>. Tata McGraw-Hill Publishing Co. Ltd. pp. <span class="nowrap">142–</span>144. <a href="/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISBN (identifier)">ISBN</a> <a href="/wiki/Special:BookSources/9780070483118" title="Special:BookSources/9780070483118"><bdi>9780070483118</bdi></a><span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">15 June</span> 2018</span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=bookitem&rft.atitle=3.15+Peripheral+Interfaces+and+Controllers+-+OG&rft.btitle=IBM+PC+And+Clones%3A+Hardware%2C+Troubleshooting+And+Maintenance&rft.pages=%3Cspan+class%3D%22nowrap%22%3E142-%3C%2Fspan%3E144&rft.pub=Tata+McGraw-Hill+Publishing+Co.+Ltd&rft.date=2008&rft.isbn=9780070483118&rft.au=Govindarajalu%2C+B.&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fbooks.google.com%2Fbooks%3Fid%3DHyl8SA1eHzIC%26pg%3DPA142&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AInterface+%28computing%29" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-BuyyaMastering13-5"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-BuyyaMastering13_5-0">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222" /><cite id="CITEREFBuyya,_R.2013" class="citation book cs1">Buyya, R. (2013). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://books.google.com/books?id=VSDZAgAAQBAJ&pg=SA2-PA13"><i>Mastering Cloud Computing</i></a>. Tata McGraw-Hill Education. p. 2.13. <a href="/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISBN (identifier)">ISBN</a> <a href="/wiki/Special:BookSources/9781259029950" title="Special:BookSources/9781259029950"><bdi>9781259029950</bdi></a>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=book&rft.btitle=Mastering+Cloud+Computing&rft.pages=2.13&rft.pub=Tata+McGraw-Hill+Education&rft.date=2013&rft.isbn=9781259029950&rft.au=Buyya%2C+R.&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fbooks.google.com%2Fbooks%3Fid%3DVSDZAgAAQBAJ%26pg%3DSA2-PA13&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AInterface+%28computing%29" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-PooObject08-6"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-PooObject08_6-0">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222" /><cite id="CITEREFPoo,_D.Kiong,_D.Ashok,_S.2008" class="citation book cs1">Poo, D.; Kiong, D.; Ashok, S. (2008). "Chapter 2: Object, Class, Message and Method". <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://archive.org/details/springer_10.1007-978-1-84628-963-7"><i>Object-Oriented Programming and Java</i></a>. Springer-Verlag. pp. <span class="nowrap">7–</span>15. <a href="/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISBN (identifier)">ISBN</a> <a href="/wiki/Special:BookSources/9781846289637" title="Special:BookSources/9781846289637"><bdi>9781846289637</bdi></a>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=bookitem&rft.atitle=Chapter+2%3A+Object%2C+Class%2C+Message+and+Method&rft.btitle=Object-Oriented+Programming+and+Java&rft.pages=%3Cspan+class%3D%22nowrap%22%3E7-%3C%2Fspan%3E15&rft.pub=Springer-Verlag&rft.date=2008&rft.isbn=9781846289637&rft.au=Poo%2C+D.&rft.au=Kiong%2C+D.&rft.au=Ashok%2C+S.&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Farchive.org%2Fdetails%2Fspringer_10.1007-978-1-84628-963-7&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AInterface+%28computing%29" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-7"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-7">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"> <link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222" /><cite id="CITEREFBill_Venners2005" class="citation web cs1">Bill Venners (2005-06-06). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.artima.com/lejava/articles/designprinciples.html">"Leading-Edge Java: Design Principles from Design Patterns: Program to an interface, not an implementation - A Conversation with Erich Gamma, Part III"</a>. <i>artima developer</i>. <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20110805191904/http://www.artima.com/lejava/articles/designprinciples.html">Archived</a> from the original on 2011-08-05<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">2011-08-03</span></span>. <q>Once you depend on interfaces only, you're decoupled from the implementation. That means the implementation can vary, and that is a healthy dependency relationship. For example, for testing purposes you can replace a heavy database implementation with a lighter-weight mock implementation. Fortunately, with today's refactoring support you no longer have to come up with an interface up front. You can distill an interface from a concrete class once you have the full insights into a problem. The intended interface is just one 'extract interface' refactoring away. ...</q></cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=unknown&rft.jtitle=artima+developer&rft.atitle=Leading-Edge+Java%3A+Design+Principles+from+Design+Patterns%3A+Program+to+an+interface%2C+not+an+implementation+-+A+Conversation+with+Erich+Gamma%2C+Part+III&rft.date=2005-06-06&rft.au=Bill+Venners&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.artima.com%2Flejava%2Farticles%2Fdesignprinciples.html&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AInterface+%28computing%29" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-PattersonComputer04-8"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-PattersonComputer04_8-0">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222" /><cite id="CITEREFPatterson,_D.A.Hennessy,_J.L.2004" class="citation book cs1">Patterson, D.A.; Hennessy, J.L. (7 August 2004). <i>Computer Organization and Design: The Hardware/Software Interface</i> (3rd ed.). Elsevier. p. 656. <a href="/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISBN (identifier)">ISBN</a> <a href="/wiki/Special:BookSources/9780080502571" title="Special:BookSources/9780080502571"><bdi>9780080502571</bdi></a>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=book&rft.btitle=Computer+Organization+and+Design%3A+The+Hardware%2FSoftware+Interface&rft.pages=656&rft.edition=3rd&rft.pub=Elsevier&rft.date=2004-08-07&rft.isbn=9780080502571&rft.au=Patterson%2C+D.A.&rft.au=Hennessy%2C+J.L.&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AInterface+%28computing%29" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-9"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-9">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222" /><cite class="citation web cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://docs.oracle.com/javase/tutorial/java/concepts/interface.html">"What Is an Interface"</a>. <i>The Java Tutorials</i>. Oracle. <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120412093619/http://docs.oracle.com/javase/tutorial/java/concepts/interface.html">Archived</a> from the original on 2012-04-12<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">2012-05-01</span></span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=unknown&rft.jtitle=The+Java+Tutorials&rft.atitle=What+Is+an+Interface&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fdocs.oracle.com%2Fjavase%2Ftutorial%2Fjava%2Fconcepts%2Finterface.html&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AInterface+%28computing%29" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-10"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-10">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222" /><cite class="citation web cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://docs.oracle.com/javase/tutorial/java/IandI/createinterface.html">"Interfaces"</a>. <i>The Java Tutorials</i>. Oracle. <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120526080117/http://docs.oracle.com/javase/tutorial/java/IandI/createinterface.html">Archived</a> from the original on 2012-05-26<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">2012-05-01</span></span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=unknown&rft.jtitle=The+Java+Tutorials&rft.atitle=Interfaces&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fdocs.oracle.com%2Fjavase%2Ftutorial%2Fjava%2FIandI%2Fcreateinterface.html&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AInterface+%28computing%29" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-11"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-11">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"> <link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222" /><cite class="citation web cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.precisejava.com/javaperf/j2se/Serialization.htm">"Performance improvement techniques in Serialization"</a>. Precise Java. <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20110824150046/http://www.precisejava.com/javaperf/j2se/Serialization.htm">Archived</a> from the original on 2011-08-24<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">2011-08-04</span></span>. <q>We will talk initially about Serializable interface. This is a marker interface and does not have any methods.</q></cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=unknown&rft.btitle=Performance+improvement+techniques+in+Serialization&rft.pub=Precise+Java&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.precisejava.com%2Fjavaperf%2Fj2se%2FSerialization.htm&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AInterface+%28computing%29" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-12"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-12">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222" /><cite id="CITEREFGammaHelmJohnsonVlissides1995" class="citation book cs1">Gamma; Helm; Johnson; Vlissides (1995). <span class="id-lock-registration" title="Free registration required"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://archive.org/details/designpatternsel00gamm"><i>Design Patterns: Elements of Reusable Object-Oriented Software</i></a></span>. Addison Wesley. pp. <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://archive.org/details/designpatternsel00gamm/page/17">17–18</a>. <a href="/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISBN (identifier)">ISBN</a> <a href="/wiki/Special:BookSources/9780201633610" title="Special:BookSources/9780201633610"><bdi>9780201633610</bdi></a>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=book&rft.btitle=Design+Patterns%3A+Elements+of+Reusable+Object-Oriented+Software&rft.pages=17-18&rft.pub=Addison+Wesley&rft.date=1995&rft.isbn=9780201633610&rft.au=Gamma&rft.au=Helm&rft.au=Johnson&rft.au=Vlissides&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Farchive.org%2Fdetails%2Fdesignpatternsel00gamm&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AInterface+%28computing%29" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> </ol></div></div> <div class="navbox-styles"><style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1129693374">.mw-parser-output .hlist dl,.mw-parser-output .hlist ol,.mw-parser-output .hlist ul{margin:0;padding:0}.mw-parser-output .hlist dd,.mw-parser-output .hlist dt,.mw-parser-output .hlist li{margin:0;display:inline}.mw-parser-output .hlist.inline,.mw-parser-output .hlist.inline dl,.mw-parser-output .hlist.inline ol,.mw-parser-output .hlist.inline ul,.mw-parser-output .hlist dl dl,.mw-parser-output .hlist dl ol,.mw-parser-output .hlist dl ul,.mw-parser-output .hlist ol dl,.mw-parser-output .hlist ol ol,.mw-parser-output .hlist ol ul,.mw-parser-output .hlist ul dl,.mw-parser-output .hlist ul ol,.mw-parser-output .hlist ul ul{display:inline}.mw-parser-output .hlist .mw-empty-li{display:none}.mw-parser-output .hlist dt::after{content:": "}.mw-parser-output .hlist dd::after,.mw-parser-output .hlist li::after{content:" · ";font-weight:bold}.mw-parser-output .hlist dd:last-child::after,.mw-parser-output .hlist dt:last-child::after,.mw-parser-output .hlist li:last-child::after{content:none}.mw-parser-output .hlist dd dd:first-child::before,.mw-parser-output .hlist dd dt:first-child::before,.mw-parser-output .hlist dd li:first-child::before,.mw-parser-output .hlist dt dd:first-child::before,.mw-parser-output .hlist dt dt:first-child::before,.mw-parser-output .hlist dt li:first-child::before,.mw-parser-output .hlist li dd:first-child::before,.mw-parser-output .hlist li dt:first-child::before,.mw-parser-output .hlist li li:first-child::before{content:" (";font-weight:normal}.mw-parser-output .hlist dd dd:last-child::after,.mw-parser-output .hlist dd dt:last-child::after,.mw-parser-output .hlist dd li:last-child::after,.mw-parser-output .hlist dt dd:last-child::after,.mw-parser-output .hlist dt dt:last-child::after,.mw-parser-output .hlist dt li:last-child::after,.mw-parser-output .hlist li dd:last-child::after,.mw-parser-output .hlist li dt:last-child::after,.mw-parser-output .hlist li li:last-child::after{content:")";font-weight:normal}.mw-parser-output .hlist ol{counter-reset:listitem}.mw-parser-output .hlist ol>li{counter-increment:listitem}.mw-parser-output .hlist ol>li::before{content:" "counter(listitem)"\a0 "}.mw-parser-output .hlist dd ol>li:first-child::before,.mw-parser-output .hlist dt ol>li:first-child::before,.mw-parser-output .hlist li ol>li:first-child::before{content:" ("counter(listitem)"\a0 "}</style><style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1236075235">.mw-parser-output .navbox{box-sizing:border-box;border:1px solid #a2a9b1;width:100%;clear:both;font-size:88%;text-align:center;padding:1px;margin:1em auto 0}.mw-parser-output .navbox .navbox{margin-top:0}.mw-parser-output .navbox+.navbox,.mw-parser-output .navbox+.navbox-styles+.navbox{margin-top:-1px}.mw-parser-output .navbox-inner,.mw-parser-output .navbox-subgroup{width:100%}.mw-parser-output .navbox-group,.mw-parser-output .navbox-title,.mw-parser-output .navbox-abovebelow{padding:0.25em 1em;line-height:1.5em;text-align:center}.mw-parser-output .navbox-group{white-space:nowrap;text-align:right}.mw-parser-output .navbox,.mw-parser-output .navbox-subgroup{background-color:#fdfdfd}.mw-parser-output .navbox-list{line-height:1.5em;border-color:#fdfdfd}.mw-parser-output .navbox-list-with-group{text-align:left;border-left-width:2px;border-left-style:solid}.mw-parser-output tr+tr>.navbox-abovebelow,.mw-parser-output tr+tr>.navbox-group,.mw-parser-output tr+tr>.navbox-image,.mw-parser-output tr+tr>.navbox-list{border-top:2px solid #fdfdfd}.mw-parser-output .navbox-title{background-color:#ccf}.mw-parser-output .navbox-abovebelow,.mw-parser-output .navbox-group,.mw-parser-output .navbox-subgroup .navbox-title{background-color:#ddf}.mw-parser-output .navbox-subgroup .navbox-group,.mw-parser-output .navbox-subgroup .navbox-abovebelow{background-color:#e6e6ff}.mw-parser-output .navbox-even{background-color:#f7f7f7}.mw-parser-output .navbox-odd{background-color:transparent}.mw-parser-output .navbox .hlist td dl,.mw-parser-output .navbox .hlist td ol,.mw-parser-output .navbox .hlist td ul,.mw-parser-output .navbox td.hlist dl,.mw-parser-output .navbox td.hlist ol,.mw-parser-output .navbox td.hlist ul{padding:0.125em 0}.mw-parser-output .navbox .navbar{display:block;font-size:100%}.mw-parser-output .navbox-title .navbar{float:left;text-align:left;margin-right:0.5em}body.skin--responsive .mw-parser-output .navbox-image img{max-width:none!important}@media print{body.ns-0 .mw-parser-output .navbox{display:none!important}}</style><style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1038841319">.mw-parser-output .tooltip-dotted{border-bottom:1px dotted;cursor:help}</style></div><div role="navigation" class="navbox authority-control" aria-label="Navbox772" style="padding:3px"><table class="nowraplinks hlist navbox-inner" style="border-spacing:0;background:transparent;color:inherit"><tbody><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%"><a href="/wiki/Help:Authority_control" title="Help:Authority control">Authority control databases</a>: National <span class="mw-valign-text-top noprint" typeof="mw:File/Frameless"><a href="https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q23808#identifiers" title="Edit this at Wikidata"><img alt="Edit this at Wikidata" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/8/8a/OOjs_UI_icon_edit-ltr-progressive.svg/10px-OOjs_UI_icon_edit-ltr-progressive.svg.png" decoding="async" width="10" height="10" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/8/8a/OOjs_UI_icon_edit-ltr-progressive.svg/15px-OOjs_UI_icon_edit-ltr-progressive.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/8/8a/OOjs_UI_icon_edit-ltr-progressive.svg/20px-OOjs_UI_icon_edit-ltr-progressive.svg.png 2x" data-file-width="20" data-file-height="20" /></a></span></th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-odd" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"><ul><li><span class="uid"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://d-nb.info/gnd/4053059-0">Germany</a></span></li><li><span class="uid"><span class="rt-commentedText tooltip tooltip-dotted" title="počítačová rozhraní"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://aleph.nkp.cz/F/?func=find-c&local_base=aut&ccl_term=ica=ph115863&CON_LNG=ENG">Czech Republic</a></span></span></li><li><span class="uid"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.nli.org.il/en/authorities/987007545775905171">Israel</a></span></li></ul></div></td></tr></tbody></table></div>    </div><noscript><img src="https://login.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:CentralAutoLogin/start?useformat=desktop&type=1x1&usesul3=0" alt="" width="1" height="1" style="border: none; position: absolute;"></noscript> <div class="printfooter" data-nosnippet="">Retrieved from "<a dir="ltr" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Interface_(computing)&oldid=1280740308">https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Interface_(computing)&oldid=1280740308</a>"</div></div> <div id="catlinks" class="catlinks" data-mw="interface"><div id="mw-normal-catlinks" class="mw-normal-catlinks"><a href="/wiki/Help:Category" title="Help:Category">Categories</a>: <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Category:Interfaces" title="Category:Interfaces">Interfaces</a></li><li><a href="/wiki/Category:Object-oriented_programming" title="Category:Object-oriented programming">Object-oriented programming</a></li><li><a href="/wiki/Category:Programming_constructs" title="Category:Programming constructs">Programming constructs</a></li></ul></div><div id="mw-hidden-catlinks" class="mw-hidden-catlinks mw-hidden-cats-hidden">Hidden categories: <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Category:Articles_with_short_description" title="Category:Articles with short description">Articles with short description</a></li><li><a href="/wiki/Category:Short_description_is_different_from_Wikidata" title="Category:Short description is different from Wikidata">Short description is different from Wikidata</a></li><li><a href="/wiki/Category:All_articles_with_unsourced_statements" title="Category:All articles with unsourced statements">All articles with unsourced statements</a></li><li><a href="/wiki/Category:Articles_with_unsourced_statements_from_June_2018" title="Category:Articles with unsourced statements from June 2018">Articles with unsourced statements from June 2018</a></li><li><a href="/wiki/Category:Articles_with_example_Java_code" title="Category:Articles with example Java code">Articles with example Java code</a></li></ul></div></div> </div> </main> </div> <div class="mw-footer-container"> <footer id="footer" class="mw-footer" > <ul id="footer-info"> <li id="footer-info-lastmod"> This page was last edited on 16 March 2025, at 06:04<span class="anonymous-show"> (UTC)</span>.</li> <li id="footer-info-copyright">Text is available under the <a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Text_of_the_Creative_Commons_Attribution-ShareAlike_4.0_International_License" title="Wikipedia:Text of the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License">Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License</a>; additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the <a href="https://foundation.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:MyLanguage/Policy:Terms_of_Use" class="extiw" title="foundation:Special:MyLanguage/Policy:Terms of Use">Terms of Use</a> and <a href="https://foundation.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:MyLanguage/Policy:Privacy_policy" class="extiw" title="foundation:Special:MyLanguage/Policy:Privacy policy">Privacy Policy</a>. Wikipedia® is a registered trademark of the <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://wikimediafoundation.org/">Wikimedia Foundation, Inc.</a>, a non-profit organization.</li> </ul> <ul id="footer-places"> <li id="footer-places-privacy"><a href="https://foundation.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:MyLanguage/Policy:Privacy_policy">Privacy policy</a></li> <li id="footer-places-about"><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:About">About Wikipedia</a></li> <li id="footer-places-disclaimers"><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:General_disclaimer">Disclaimers</a></li> <li id="footer-places-contact"><a href="//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Contact_us">Contact Wikipedia</a></li> <li id="footer-places-wm-codeofconduct"><a href="https://foundation.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:MyLanguage/Policy:Universal_Code_of_Conduct">Code of Conduct</a></li> <li id="footer-places-developers"><a href="https://developer.wikimedia.org">Developers</a></li> <li id="footer-places-statslink"><a href="https://stats.wikimedia.org/#/en.wikipedia.org">Statistics</a></li> <li id="footer-places-cookiestatement"><a href="https://foundation.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:MyLanguage/Policy:Cookie_statement">Cookie statement</a></li> <li id="footer-places-mobileview"><a href="//en.m.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Interface_(computing)&mobileaction=toggle_view_mobile" class="noprint stopMobileRedirectToggle">Mobile view</a></li> </ul> <ul id="footer-icons" class="noprint"> <li id="footer-copyrightico"><a href="https://wikimediafoundation.org/" class="cdx-button cdx-button--fake-button cdx-button--size-large cdx-button--fake-button--enabled"><picture><source media="(min-width: 500px)" srcset="/static/images/footer/wikimedia-button.svg" width="84" height="29"><img src="/static/images/footer/wikimedia.svg" width="25" height="25" alt="Wikimedia Foundation" lang="en" loading="lazy"></picture></a></li> <li id="footer-poweredbyico"><a href="https://www.mediawiki.org/" class="cdx-button cdx-button--fake-button cdx-button--size-large cdx-button--fake-button--enabled"><picture><source media="(min-width: 500px)" srcset="/w/resources/assets/poweredby_mediawiki.svg" width="88" height="31"><img src="/w/resources/assets/mediawiki_compact.svg" alt="Powered by MediaWiki" lang="en" width="25" height="25" loading="lazy"></picture></a></li> </ul> </footer> </div> </div> </div> <div class="vector-header-container vector-sticky-header-container"> <div id="vector-sticky-header" class="vector-sticky-header"> <div class="vector-sticky-header-start"> <div class="vector-sticky-header-icon-start vector-button-flush-left vector-button-flush-right" aria-hidden="true"> <button class="cdx-button cdx-button--weight-quiet cdx-button--icon-only vector-sticky-header-search-toggle" tabindex="-1" data-event-name="ui.vector-sticky-search-form.icon"><span class="vector-icon mw-ui-icon-search mw-ui-icon-wikimedia-search"></span> <span>Search</span> </button> </div> <div role="search" class="vector-search-box-vue vector-search-box-show-thumbnail vector-search-box"> <div class="vector-typeahead-search-container"> <div class="cdx-typeahead-search cdx-typeahead-search--show-thumbnail"> <form action="/w/index.php" id="vector-sticky-search-form" class="cdx-search-input cdx-search-input--has-end-button"> <div class="cdx-search-input__input-wrapper" data-search-loc="header-moved"> <div class="cdx-text-input cdx-text-input--has-start-icon"> <input class="cdx-text-input__input" type="search" name="search" placeholder="Search Wikipedia"> <span class="cdx-text-input__icon cdx-text-input__start-icon"></span> </div> <input type="hidden" name="title" value="Special:Search"> </div> <button class="cdx-button cdx-search-input__end-button">Search</button> </form> </div> </div> </div> <div class="vector-sticky-header-context-bar"> <nav aria-label="Contents" class="vector-toc-landmark"> <div id="vector-sticky-header-toc" class="vector-dropdown mw-portlet mw-portlet-sticky-header-toc vector-sticky-header-toc vector-button-flush-left" > <input type="checkbox" id="vector-sticky-header-toc-checkbox" role="button" aria-haspopup="true" data-event-name="ui.dropdown-vector-sticky-header-toc" class="vector-dropdown-checkbox " aria-label="Toggle the table of contents" > <label id="vector-sticky-header-toc-label" for="vector-sticky-header-toc-checkbox" class="vector-dropdown-label cdx-button cdx-button--fake-button cdx-button--fake-button--enabled cdx-button--weight-quiet cdx-button--icon-only " aria-hidden="true" ><span class="vector-icon mw-ui-icon-listBullet mw-ui-icon-wikimedia-listBullet"></span> <span class="vector-dropdown-label-text">Toggle the table of contents</span> </label> <div class="vector-dropdown-content"> <div id="vector-sticky-header-toc-unpinned-container" class="vector-unpinned-container"> </div> </div> </div> </nav> <div class="vector-sticky-header-context-bar-primary" aria-hidden="true" ><span class="mw-page-title-main">Interface (computing)</span></div> </div> </div> <div class="vector-sticky-header-end" aria-hidden="true"> <div class="vector-sticky-header-icons"> <a href="#" class="cdx-button cdx-button--fake-button cdx-button--fake-button--enabled cdx-button--weight-quiet cdx-button--icon-only" id="ca-talk-sticky-header" tabindex="-1" data-event-name="talk-sticky-header"><span class="vector-icon mw-ui-icon-speechBubbles mw-ui-icon-wikimedia-speechBubbles"></span> <span></span> </a> <a href="#" class="cdx-button cdx-button--fake-button cdx-button--fake-button--enabled cdx-button--weight-quiet cdx-button--icon-only" id="ca-subject-sticky-header" tabindex="-1" data-event-name="subject-sticky-header"><span class="vector-icon mw-ui-icon-article mw-ui-icon-wikimedia-article"></span> <span></span> </a> <a href="#" class="cdx-button cdx-button--fake-button cdx-button--fake-button--enabled cdx-button--weight-quiet cdx-button--icon-only" id="ca-history-sticky-header" tabindex="-1" data-event-name="history-sticky-header"><span class="vector-icon mw-ui-icon-wikimedia-history mw-ui-icon-wikimedia-wikimedia-history"></span> <span></span> </a> <a href="#" class="cdx-button cdx-button--fake-button cdx-button--fake-button--enabled cdx-button--weight-quiet cdx-button--icon-only mw-watchlink" id="ca-watchstar-sticky-header" tabindex="-1" data-event-name="watch-sticky-header"><span class="vector-icon mw-ui-icon-wikimedia-star mw-ui-icon-wikimedia-wikimedia-star"></span> <span></span> </a> <a href="#" class="cdx-button cdx-button--fake-button cdx-button--fake-button--enabled cdx-button--weight-quiet cdx-button--icon-only" id="ca-edit-sticky-header" tabindex="-1" data-event-name="wikitext-edit-sticky-header"><span class="vector-icon mw-ui-icon-wikimedia-wikiText mw-ui-icon-wikimedia-wikimedia-wikiText"></span> <span></span> </a> <a href="#" class="cdx-button cdx-button--fake-button cdx-button--fake-button--enabled cdx-button--weight-quiet cdx-button--icon-only" id="ca-ve-edit-sticky-header" tabindex="-1" data-event-name="ve-edit-sticky-header"><span class="vector-icon mw-ui-icon-wikimedia-edit mw-ui-icon-wikimedia-wikimedia-edit"></span> <span></span> </a> <a href="#" class="cdx-button cdx-button--fake-button cdx-button--fake-button--enabled cdx-button--weight-quiet cdx-button--icon-only" id="ca-viewsource-sticky-header" tabindex="-1" data-event-name="ve-edit-protected-sticky-header"><span class="vector-icon mw-ui-icon-wikimedia-editLock mw-ui-icon-wikimedia-wikimedia-editLock"></span> <span></span> </a> </div> <div class="vector-sticky-header-buttons"> <button class="cdx-button cdx-button--weight-quiet mw-interlanguage-selector" id="p-lang-btn-sticky-header" tabindex="-1" data-event-name="ui.dropdown-p-lang-btn-sticky-header"><span class="vector-icon mw-ui-icon-wikimedia-language mw-ui-icon-wikimedia-wikimedia-language"></span> <span>57 languages</span> </button> <a href="#" class="cdx-button cdx-button--fake-button cdx-button--fake-button--enabled cdx-button--weight-quiet cdx-button--action-progressive" id="ca-addsection-sticky-header" tabindex="-1" data-event-name="addsection-sticky-header"><span class="vector-icon mw-ui-icon-speechBubbleAdd-progressive mw-ui-icon-wikimedia-speechBubbleAdd-progressive"></span> <span>Add topic</span> </a> </div> <div class="vector-sticky-header-icon-end"> <div class="vector-user-links"> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="mw-portlet mw-portlet-dock-bottom emptyPortlet" id="p-dock-bottom"> <ul> </ul> </div> <script>(RLQ=window.RLQ||[]).push(function(){mw.config.set({"wgHostname":"mw-web.eqiad.main-8669bc5c8-s9kbv","wgBackendResponseTime":269,"wgPageParseReport":{"limitreport":{"cputime":"0.464","walltime":"0.692","ppvisitednodes":{"value":1912,"limit":1000000},"postexpandincludesize":{"value":40871,"limit":2097152},"templateargumentsize":{"value":3311,"limit":2097152},"expansiondepth":{"value":12,"limit":100},"expensivefunctioncount":{"value":16,"limit":500},"unstrip-depth":{"value":1,"limit":20},"unstrip-size":{"value":55600,"limit":5000000},"entityaccesscount":{"value":1,"limit":400},"timingprofile":["100.00% 644.346 1 -total"," 30.84% 198.719 1 Template:Reflist"," 21.41% 137.937 1 Template:Authority_control"," 21.26% 136.969 1 Template:Short_description"," 20.34% 131.092 6 Template:Cite_book"," 16.13% 103.921 4 Template:Citation_needed"," 13.87% 89.377 4 Template:Fix"," 9.90% 63.803 8 Template:Main_other"," 9.33% 60.147 1 Template:SDcat"," 8.90% 57.333 2 Template:Pagetype"]},"scribunto":{"limitreport-timeusage":{"value":"0.323","limit":"10.000"},"limitreport-memusage":{"value":5891359,"limit":52428800}},"cachereport":{"origin":"mw-web.eqiad.main-8669bc5c8-gj7m5","timestamp":"20250318155830","ttl":2592000,"transientcontent":false}}});});</script> <script type="application/ld+json">{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@type":"Article","name":"Interface (computing)","url":"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Interface_(computing)","sameAs":"http:\/\/www.wikidata.org\/entity\/Q23808","mainEntity":"http:\/\/www.wikidata.org\/entity\/Q23808","author":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Contributors to Wikimedia projects"},"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Wikimedia Foundation, Inc.","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https:\/\/www.wikimedia.org\/static\/images\/wmf-hor-googpub.png"}},"datePublished":"2004-04-26T23:12:00Z","dateModified":"2025-03-16T06:04:16Z","headline":"concept of computer science; point of interaction between two things"}</script> </body> </html>