What are the differences between itertools and lists in Python?

What are the differences between itertools and lists in Python?

Itertools is a module that provides functions for creating iterators for efficient looping, while lists are built-in data structures that store ordered collections of items.

Can you give me an example of how to use itertools?

Sure! For example, you can use itertools.combinations to generate all possible combinations of a list. Here's a quick example:

import itertools
my_list = [1, 2, 3]
combinations = list(itertools.combinations(my_list, 2))
print(combinations)  # Output: [(1, 2), (1, 3), (2, 3)]

When should I use itertools instead of lists?

Use itertools when you need to handle large datasets or require efficient memory usage, as it generates items on-the-fly instead of storing them all in memory like lists.

Are there any performance differences between them?

Yes, itertools can be more memory efficient for large datasets since it generates items one at a time, while lists store all items in memory, which can lead to higher memory usage.