Introduction
Python decorators are a powerful feature of the Python programming language that allow developers to add functionality to existing code without modifying the original code. They act as wrappers, modifying the behavior of a function, class, or module without changing its source code. Decorators are used extensively in Python, especially in web development frameworks like Django and Flask. In this blog post, we will explore what decorators are, how they work, and how they can be used in Python programming.
What are Decorators?
Decorators are higher-order functions that take another function as an argument and return a new function. In simple terms, decorators are functions that modify the behavior of other functions. They allow programmers to add functionality to a function without changing its source code. This is achieved by wrapping the original function inside another function, which can then perform additional tasks before and after calling the original function.
How do Decorators Work?
To understand how decorators work, let’s first understand what higher-order functions are. In Python, functions are first-class objects, which means they can be passed as arguments, assigned to variables, and returned from other functions. Higher-order functions are functions that take other functions as arguments or return functions as their output. Decorators are an example of higher-order functions.
Let’s look at a simple example of a decorator in action:
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