Which of the following steps is essential when implementing the singleton concept with minimum coding?

The essential step when implementing the singleton concept with minimal coding is to define the instantiation of the class as private. In the singleton pattern, the goal is to ensure that a class has only one instance and provides a global point of access to that instance. This is achieved by making the constructor of the class private, which prevents external instantiation and thereby enforces the control of the instance creation.

By restricting the constructor, the class can only be instantiated within its own definition, typically through a static method that manages the instance of the class. This method will handle the creation of the instance, ensuring that the same instance is returned every time it is called.

While defining the class as public and creating an instance in a local method might be relevant in some contexts, they are not inherently necessary for achieving singleton functionality. The critical aspect that directly secures the singleton's properties is the private instantiation.