What is the performance of shallow copy in Python?

What is the performance of shallow copy in Python?

Shallow copy in Python creates a new object but inserts references into it to the objects found in the original. This means that the performance can be quite efficient for large objects, as it doesn't duplicate the entire structure.

How does it compare to deep copy?

Deep copy creates a new object and recursively adds copies of nested objects found in the original. This can be slower and more memory-intensive than shallow copy, especially for large or complex objects.

When should I use shallow copy instead of deep copy?

Use shallow copy when you want to duplicate an object but don't need to copy nested objects. It's faster and uses less memory.

Can you show me an example of shallow copy in action?

Sure! You can use the copy module in Python. For example:

import copy
original = [1, 2, [3, 4]]
shallow_copied = copy.copy(original)

This creates a shallow copy of the list.