What is the difference between shallow and deep copy in programming?

What is the difference between shallow and deep copy in programming?

A shallow copy creates a new object but inserts references into it to the objects found in the original. A deep copy creates a new object and recursively copies all objects found in the original.

Can you give me an example of each?

Sure! In Python, a shallow copy can be made using the copy() method, while a deep copy can be created using the copy.deepcopy() function.

What happens if I modify a nested object in a shallow copy?

If you modify a nested object in a shallow copy, the change will reflect in the original object since both share references to the same nested object.

And what about a deep copy?

In a deep copy, modifications to nested objects do not affect the original, as all objects are copied recursively.