What are the differences between decorators and context managers in Python?

What are the differences between decorators and context managers in Python?

Decorators are functions that modify the behavior of another function, while context managers are used to manage resources, like file handling.

Can you give me an example of a decorator?

Sure! A simple decorator could be one that logs the execution time of a function. Here's a basic example:

import time

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

And how about a context manager?

A context manager can be created using the with statement. For example, to open a file safely:

with open('file.txt', 'r') as file:
    data = file.read()

This ensures the file is properly closed after its block is executed.

When should I use a decorator instead of a context manager?

Use decorators when you want to modify or enhance the behavior of functions, and use context managers when you need to manage resources or ensure cleanup after execution.