Explain the difference between inheritance and composition. The advantages and disadvantages of each approach. How does this affect debugging?

Inheritance is a mechanism where one class (subclass) acquires properties and methods of another class (parent class). Composition is when an object includes other objects, utilizing their functionality.

Advantages of inheritance:

• Allows reusing code from the base class.
• Logically models "is-a" relationships.

Disadvantages of inheritance:

• Rigid connection between classes, making hierarchy changes more difficult.
• Issues with multiple inheritance (in some languages).
• Can lead to fragile architecture with deep hierarchies.

Advantages of composition:

• More flexible architecture, objects can be changed and combined dynamically.
• Weak coupling between components.
• Easier to test and debug individual parts.

Disadvantages of composition:

• Requires more code for proxying calls.
• Sometimes harder to understand the structure due to distributed functionality.

Impact on debugging:

• In inheritance, errors may be related to the base class, complicating the search for the cause.
• In composition, it is easier to localize problems, as components are isolated and interact through clear interfaces.

Example of composition in JavaScript:

class Engine {
  start() { console.log('Engine started'); }
}

class Car {
  constructor() {
    this.engine = new Engine();
  }
  start() {
    this.engine.start();
  }
}

const car = new Car();
car.start();