Types of Inheritance in C#?

Inheritance is a mechanism where one class (derived class) acquires the properties and behaviors of another class (base class). C# supports several types of inheritance:

1. Single Inheritance

A derived class inherits from only one base class.

class Base {
    public void Show() { }
}

class Derived : Base {
    // inherits Show() from Base
}
    

2. Multilevel Inheritance

A class is derived from another derived class, forming a chain.

class GrandParent { }
class Parent : GrandParent { }
class Child : Parent { }
    

3. Hierarchical Inheritance

Multiple classes inherit from a single base class.

class Base { }
class Child1 : Base { }
class Child2 : Base { }
    

4. Multiple Inheritance (via Interfaces)

C# does not support multiple class inheritance directly, but multiple interfaces can be implemented.

interface IA { }
interface IB { }

class Derived : IA, IB { }
    

5. Hybrid Inheritance

A combination of two or more types of inheritance. In C#, achieved using interfaces along with classes.

interface IA { }
class Base { }
class Derived : Base, IA { }
    

Note: C# allows single, multilevel, hierarchical, and hybrid inheritance using interfaces, but not direct multiple class inheritance.