Accessing private field in Java

I don't understand why I can access the private int i outside of the class while it's private.

public class Fish {

    private int i = 1;

    public static void main(String[] args) {
        Fish k = new F开发者_运维问答ish();
        k.i = 2; // it IS possible
    }

}

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Access modifiers work on class level not on object level.

You are allowed to access k.i since the code lies within the same class as in which the member i is declared.

The rationale is (afaik) the following: You encapsulate the data (partly) in order to ease future maintenance and refactorings. When you refactor code, you refactor classes, not objects.

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Your main method is part of the Fish class isn't it?

The following doesn't work:

public class Fish {

    private int i = 1;

}

class Reptile{
  public static void main(String[] args) {
         Fish k = new Fish();

         k.i = 2; // Compiler error.
     }
}

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Private means that only the defining class can access the variable.

Your main method is a method of the class Fish, and so it is allowed to access the variable

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This is not outside the class. You're in the same class.

You're instantiating a new instance of the same class and therefore you can access the private fields of this class.

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If this were the main method in SomeOtherClass, the same line would fail.