What Is an Integer in Programming

An integer in programming is a data type used to represent whole numbers without any decimal points. Integers can be positive, negative, or zero. For example, -5, 0, and 42 are all integers. They are commonly used in calculations, counting, and indexing operations.

In programming, the term int is the shorthand abbreviation for integer. The use of int is widespread across many programming languages. For example, you can declare an integer starting with int.