What does the term "information hiding" refer to in software design principles?

The term "information hiding" in software design principles refers to the practice of concealing internal system design details from users. This approach is fundamental to abstraction in software engineering, where only the necessary information is exposed to users while keeping the complexity of the system hidden. By doing so, it allows for a cleaner separation of concerns, making the system easier to manage and adapt over time. It promotes encapsulation, meaning that the inner workings can change without affecting other parts of the system that rely on the external interface.

This principle not only improves security by limiting access to critical components of the software but also enhances maintainability and scalability. When internal implementations are hidden, it becomes easier to implement changes or optimizations without the risk of breaking existing functionality relied upon by users.