What is the main purpose of inheritance in object-oriented programming?

The main purpose of inheritance in object-oriented programming is to allow one class to inherit attributes and methods from another class. This concept supports the creation of a hierarchical relationship between classes, where a derived or child class can reuse and build upon the existing functionality defined in a base or parent class.

This mechanism not only promotes code reuse but also leads to a more organized and modular structure, where shared behavior and properties can be encapsulated in a parent class. Thus, when a child class inherits from a parent class, it automatically acquires its properties and methods. This allows developers to create more specialized classes that can extend or override behavior without duplicating code, making it easier to maintain and update the program over time.

In addition, inheritance plays a pivotal role in facilitating polymorphism and establishing methods that can operate on objects of the parent class while treating derived classes as their own types. This enhances the flexibility and scalability of software design.