What is an identifier in programming?

An identifier in programming is a name used to uniquely identify a variable, function, class, or any other user-defined item within the code. Identifiers allow programmers to refer to the values stored in variables, to invoke functions, or to access data structures with clarity and conciseness.

For example, when you declare a variable to hold the number of students in a class, you might name it "studentCount." This name serves as an identifier that you can use throughout your code to refer to that specific value. Identifiers typically follow certain naming rules: they must begin with a letter or an underscore, cannot contain spaces or special characters (except for underscores), and are case-sensitive.

This concept is foundational in programming as it establishes how programmers can communicate their intentions through code and helps ensure clarity and maintainability in software development.