What is an abstract class in Python?

What is an abstract class in Python?

An abstract class in Python is a class that cannot be instantiated and is meant to be subclassed. It can contain abstract methods that must be implemented by subclasses.

Can you give me an example of an abstract class?

Sure! Here's a simple example:

from abc import ABC, abstractmethod

class Animal(ABC):
    @abstractmethod
    def sound(self):
        pass

class Dog(Animal):
    def sound(self):
        return 'Bark'

class Cat(Animal):
    def sound(self):
        return 'Meow'

What happens if I try to instantiate an abstract class?

If you try to instantiate an abstract class, Python will raise a TypeError. Abstract classes are designed to be subclassed, not instantiated directly.

How do I know if a class is abstract?

A class is considered abstract if it inherits from ABC (Abstract Base Class) and contains at least one abstract method, which is defined using the @abstractmethod decorator.