Difference Between Module and Package in Python

What is Package in Python?

Whereas, on the other hand, a package is a collection of modules organized in a directory. They are used to create a namespace for modules that work in the same manner. A package is a directory that contains an init.py file, which can be empty or have an initialization code for the package.

Packages can contain sub-packages that are nested directories containing their init.py files and other Python modules. When a package is imported, all sub-packages are also automatically imported.

Uses of Modules and Packages in Python

Below are some of the primary uses of modules and packages in Python:

1. Code reusability: Modules and packages allow developers to reuse code in multiple parts of their applications or across different applications. Rather than rewriting the same code repeatedly, coders can write it once in a module or package and then import to use it in other parts of the application.
    
2. Encapsulation: It provides a way to encapsulate code, which means that it can be wrapped the data and code in a single entity. This helps to improve the overall structure of the codebase.
    
3. Namespace management: It allows developers to manage namespaces, i.e., avoiding naming conflicts between different application parts. Namespaces help to ensure that variables, functions, and classes have unique names within their respective modules or packages.
    
4. Code organization: It provides a way to organize code into logical groups based on functionality or purpose. This can make it easier to navigate and understand a large codebase.
    
5. Third-party libraries: Many third-party libraries are provided in the form of modules or packages. This means the developers can easily add new functionality to their applications without writing everything from scratch.

Examples of Modules and Packages in Python

A module is a file containing Python definitions and statements. In comparison, a package is a hierarchical structure. It defines a single Python application environment that includes modules and sub-packages.

Here are some examples of built-in modules and packages in Python:

Modules: 

1. math - provides mathematical functions like sqrt()(for finding square root of a number), sin()(for finding sin of an angle), cos()(for finding cos of an angle), etc. Let us see how it works:

import math
x = math.sqrt(16)
print("Square root of 16 is:",x)

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The output of above code is: 

2. random - provides tools for generating random numbers, shuffling sequences, and selecting random items. Let us see how it works:

import random
random_number = random.randint(1, 10)
print("A random number between 1 and 10 is:",random_number)

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The output of above code is:

3. datetime - provides classes for working with dates and times. Let us see how it works:

import datetime
current_time = datetime.datetime.now()
formatted_time = current_time.strftime("%Y-%m-%d %H:%M:%S")
print(formatted_time)

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The output of above code will print the current date and time in Year-month-date Hour-min-sec order:

4. os - provides a way of using operating system-dependent functions like read or write to the file system. Let us see how it works:

import os
file_path = "/path/to/file.txt"
if os.path.exists(file_path):
   os.remove(file_path)
   print("File deleted.")
else:
   print("File does not exist.")

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In the above code, after importing the os module, we set a variable path. Check if that variable exists then delete the file   and print file deleted. Otherwise state that the file doesn't exist

5. csv - provides classes for reading and writing to CSV files. Let us see how the code runs:

import csv
file_path = "/path/to/file.csv"

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With the csv module we can access the csv files and use the data in them. As there exists no csv file, therefore, it would give an error.

Packages: 

1. numpy - It provides working on large, multi-dimensional arrays and matrices, with a large library of mathematical functions to operate on these arrays. Let us see how it works:

import numpy as np
arr = np.array([1, 2, 3, 4, 5])
print("Array:", arr)
print("Sum:", np.sum(arr))
print("Mean:", np.mean(arr))
print("Standard deviation:", np.std(arr))

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The above code will have the output as:

2. pandas - It provides tools for data manipulation and analysis. It also includes reading and writing to various file formats, cleaning data, and performing data aggregation. Let us see how its code works:

import pandas as pd
file_path = "/path/to/file.csv"
df = pd.read_csv(file_path)
print("Data types:")
print(df.dtypes)
print("Summary statistics:")
print(df.describe())

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The above code will print the data types of all the variables of the csv file. But here as the file doesn't exist therefore, it will not give an error. You can change the file_path to your csv file address and can run the code.
 

3. matplotlib - It provides tools for creating visualizations and graph plots, for example, line plots, scatter plots, bar plots, and more. Let us see how it works:

import matplotlib.pyplot as plt
x_values = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
y_values = [2, 4, 6, 8, 10]
plt.plot(x_values, y_values)
plt.title("Line chart")
plt.xlabel("X values")
plt.ylabel("Y values")
plt.show()

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The output of the above code will be:

4. flask - It provides a micro web framework for building web applications and APIs.

5. django - It gives a full-stack web framework for building web applications, including tools for database management, user authentication, and more.

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Difference between Modules and Packages in Python

In Python, both modules and packages are used to organise data. But there is a difference between modules and packages in Python.

Also see, Convert String to List Python

Frequently asked questions

What are examples of modules in Python?

Examples of Python modules include os, sys, math, datetime, random, and collections.

What are modules and packages in Python interview questions?

Modules are single Python files; packages are directories containing multiple modules and an __init__.py file.

How many modules are in Python?

Python has over 200 standard library modules, with thousands more available via third-party libraries.

What is the difference between module and class in Python?

A module is a file containing Python code; a class is a blueprint for creating objects within that module.

Conclusion

In this article, we aimed to understand the modules and packages in Python, including what is the difference between modules and packages in Python. We discussed its uses, examples, and differences between them.