What are the benefits of using decorators in Python?

What are the benefits of using decorators in Python?

Decorators in Python provide a way to modify or enhance functions or methods without changing their code. They promote code reusability and separation of concerns.

Can you give me an example of a decorator?

Sure! A simple example is a logging decorator that logs the execution time of a function. Here's how it looks:

import time

def log_execution_time(func):
    def wrapper(*args, **kwargs):
        start_time = time.time()
        result = func(*args, **kwargs)
        end_time = time.time()
        print(f"Execution time: {end_time - start_time} seconds")
        return result
    return wrapper

@log_execution_time
def my_function():
    # function code here

What other benefits do decorators provide?

Decorators can help with cross-cutting concerns like logging, authentication, and caching. They also make your code cleaner and more readable.

Are there any downsides to using decorators?

One downside is that they can make debugging more complex since they wrap functions. Additionally, overusing them can lead to less readable code.