What is the difference between a data class and a standard class in a programming language?

In Kotlin (Android), a data class is a special class designed for storing data. The main difference from a regular class is that the compiler automatically generates several useful methods for data classes:

• equals() and hashCode() for comparing objects by content,
• toString() with informative output,
• copy() for creating copies with modified fields,
• components (component1(), component2(), etc.) for destructuring.

A regular class does not have these methods by default; they need to be written manually if required.

Example of a data class:

data class User(val name: String, val age: Int)

val user1 = User("Alice", 30)
val user2 = user1.copy(age = 31)
println(user1) // User(name=Alice, age=30)

Thus, a data class is convenient for data models where simplicity and correct object comparison are important.