How Does Python Handle Privacy in Classes Without Explicit Access Modifiers?

The Nature of Privacy in Python Classes

In Java, the concept of access modifiers is fundamental to controlling variable visibility within classes. However, Python presents a different approach.

As Bruce Eckels observes, Python does not formally declare instance variables. Instead, variables used within the constructor are implicitly created. This raises a question: why does Python seemingly lack the need for private variables?

Java's access modifiers (public, private, protected) instills a certain level of encapsulation, limiting the exposure of internal class variables to external code. However, in Python, this explicit declaration of variable visibility is considered unnecessary.

The pythonic philosophy encourages a sense of responsibility among programmers. The convention is not to manipulate instance or class variables of other classes. While access to them is technically possible, it goes against the accepted practices of the language.

To emulate the concept of private variables, Python provides a mechanism through the __ prefix (as per PEP 8). This prefixes the variable name, effectively mangling it within the class namespace, making it less visible to external code. However, this protection is not foolproof, as determined users can still circumvent it.

Additionally, the _ prefix is used for variables intended for internal use within the class or module. While access from outside is not technically restricted, it signifies that it should not be manipulated by code outside its scope.

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