What is the difference between generators and iterators in Python?

What is the difference between generators and iterators in Python?

Generators are a type of iterator that allow you to iterate through a sequence of values without storing them in memory. They are defined using a function with the yield statement.

Can you give me an example of a generator?

Sure! Here's a simple generator that yields the first three numbers:

def count_up_to(n):
    count = 1
    while count <= n:
        yield count
        count += 1

You can use it like this:

for number in count_up_to(3):
    print(number)

How do iterators differ from regular lists?

Iterators do not store all their values in memory at once. Instead, they generate each value on the fly, which makes them more memory efficient for large datasets.

Are there any performance benefits to using generators?

Yes, generators can improve performance by reducing memory usage and allowing for lazy evaluation, which means values are computed only when needed.