Auto-Encapsulation in Java: Useful or Exaggerated?

One common habit in Java is to always use getters and setters, even inside the class itself. But as Martin Fowler highlights in Refactoring, auto-encapsulating fields only makes sense when it actually adds value.

Sometimes it does. Sometimes it's just ceremony.

When Auto-Encapsulation Is Overkill

class Stock {
   private double lastPrice;
   public Stock(double lastPrice) {
       this.lastPrice = lastPrice;
   }
   // Using getLastPrice() here adds nothing
   public double applyDiscount(double pct) {
       return lastPrice - (lastPrice * pct);
   }
}

`lastPrice` is a plain value. Calling `getLastPrice()` internally wouldn't improve clarity or flexibility, it would only add noise.

When Auto-Encapsulation Makes Sense

class StockHolding {
   private int quantity;
   private double pricePerShare;
   public double getTotalValue() {
       // This may evolve into a more complex rule
       return quantity * pricePerShare;
   }

   public void printValue() {
       System.out.println("Holding value: " + getTotalValue());
   }
}

Here, accessing the field through a getter is useful because the logic may grow: fees, adjustments, rounding rules, etc.

Centralizing the calculation in one method makes the class easier to maintain, exactly the kind of future-proofing Fowler describes.

To sum up

Encapsulation isn't about following a rule, it's about writing code that stays clean as it grows.