This set of interfaces and contracts deal with [type introspection](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Type_introspection) of contracts, that is, examining which functions can be called on them. This is usually referred to as a contract's _interface_.
This set of interfaces and contracts deal with https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Type_introspection[type introspection] of contracts, that is, examining which functions can be called on them. This is usually referred to as a contract's _interface_.
Ethereum contracts have no native concept of an interface, so applications must usually simply trust they are not making an incorrect call. For trusted setups this is a non-issue, but often unknown and untrusted third-party addresses need to be interacted with. There may even not be any direct calls to them! (e.g. `ERC20` tokens may be sent to a contract that lacks a way to transfer them out of it, locking them forever). In these cases, a contract _declaring_ its interface can be very helpful in preventing errors.
Nicolás Venturo
5 years ago