What is meant by a literal in programming?

A literal in programming refers to a constant value that is explicitly defined in the code. This means that it represents a fixed value that does not change during the execution of a program. For example, if you write 5 in the code, that 5 is a literal representing the integer value five. Similarly, strings like "Hello" or boolean values like true are also considered literals because they are constant values used directly in the code without requiring any variables or calculations.

Using literals is essential because they allow programmers to provide concrete values within their programs, making it easier to understand and maintain code by having explicit declarations. In contrast, a variable is a placeholder that can hold different values at different times, while operators are used to perform operations on variables and literals, and notations that indicate actions within the code are not classified as literals either.