Is the default class private or not?

In Java, the default access modifier for a class is package-private, not private. This means that if you don’t explicitly specify an access modifier (like public, private, or protected), the class will be accessible only within its own package. Here’s a more detailed breakdown:

Default (Package-Private) Access in Java
Definition: If no access modifier is specified, the class is considered package-private (also called default access). This means that the class is accessible to all other classes in the same package, but not to classes outside the package.

class MyClass {
    // Class definition
}

// This class is accessible only to other classes within the same package.

Accessible within the package: All classes within the same package can create instances of MyClass or use its methods.

Not accessible from outside the package: If you try to access MyClass from a different package without specifying an access modifier, you will get an error.
Private Access for Classes
Class-Level Restriction: You cannot declare a top-level class as private in Java. Only nested (inner) classes can be declared private.

Why Not Private for Top-Level Classes?:

If a class is declared private, it would not be accessible anywhere outside its own file or class. This defeats the purpose of having a reusable class, so Java does not allow top-level classes to be private.
Example of Private Nested Class:

class OuterClass {
    private class InnerClass {
        // Private inner class, accessible only within OuterClass
    }
}

// OuterClass is accessible within its package, but InnerClass is not.

Default access modifier (no modifier) in Java is package-private, meaning the class is accessible only within the same package.
Private access is not allowed for top-level classes but can be used for nested inner classes.
If you want a class to be accessible outside the package, you need to use the public modifier.