How to make instance variables private in Ruby?

Question

Is there any way to make instance variables "private"(C++ or Java definition) in ruby? In other words I want following code to result in an error.

class Base
  def initialize()
    @x = 10
  end
end

class Derived < Base
  def x
    @x = 20
  end
end

d = Derived.new

Answer 1

Like most things in Ruby, instance variables aren't truly "private" and can be accessed by anyone with d.instance_variable_get :@x.

Unlike in Java/C++, though, instance variables in Ruby are always private. They are never part of the public API like methods are, since they can only be accessed with that verbose getter. So if there's any sanity in your API, you don't have to worry about someone abusing your instance variables, since they'll be using the methods instead. (Of course, if someone wants to go wild and access private methods or instance variables, there isn’t a way to stop them.)

The only concern is if someone accidentally overwrites an instance variable when they extend your class. That can be avoided by using unlikely names, perhaps calling it @base_x in your example.