Functions as First-Class Objects in Functional Programming

👋 Hey everyone! In today’s article, we’re diving into an important concept in functional programming — Functions as First-Class Objects.

By the end of this article, you’ll understand:
✅ What first-class functions mean
✅ Why they are useful in functional programming
✅ How to use them in Java with real-world examples

For non-members, please read this article for free on my blog: Functions as First-Class Objects in Functional Programming.

Let’s get started! 🚀

1️⃣ Introduction: What are First-Class Functions?

In functional programming, functions are treated like any other variable. This means:
🔹 You can assign a function to a variable
🔹 You can pass functions as arguments to other functions
🔹 You can return functions from other functions

💡 Think of it like this: In most programming languages, we store numbers and strings in variables. What if we could store entire functions the same way? That’s exactly what first-class functions allow us to do!

2️⃣ Real-World Analogy

Imagine a food delivery app.

• You can order different food items (Pizza, Burger, Pasta).
• You can pass your choice to a…