What are the differences between instance and class methods in Python?

What are the differences between instance and class methods in Python?

Instance methods are called on an instance of a class and can access instance variables. Class methods are called on the class itself and can access class variables.

Can you give me an example of each?

Sure! An instance method might look like this: def instance_method(self): return self.value. A class method would be defined as @classmethod def class_method(cls): return cls.class_variable.

When would I use a class method instead of an instance method?

You'd use a class method when you need to access or modify class-level data, or when you want to create factory methods that return an instance of the class.

Are there any other types of methods in Python?

Yes, there's also static methods, which don't access instance or class data and are defined with the @staticmethod decorator.