Difference between Module and Package in Python

The main difference between the module and the package in Python is that the module can be a simple file in Python that contains the different functions and collection of the global variables. On the other hand, package is a directory that stores the collection of modules. In other words, the package directory contains the .py files by which an interpreter can interpret it as a package in Python.

Now let's discuss the module and package in detail:

What is a module in Python?

The module is a simple file in Python. The extension of all files in Python is in the form of (.py).

In other words, we can say that the module is a collection of numerous files or functions that help us to provide different functionalities that can be used in the application.

A module is a bunch of related files that are used to store in a file in the extension .py. Essentially, in Python programming, we use Python modules because it contains various types of functions that perform different operations in Python.

Let’s take an example to understand the modules in Python, Suppose we want to make a new file with any names. The name of the file is rohit_acad.py, and save the code in the file below.

rohit_acad.py

def module_function(para) :
print("Creating a new Module: " + para)

Now, let's make a new file with any name. For example, let's take a file with the name test.py.

Example:

import rohit_acad
rohit_acad.module_function("Rohit")

Output:

Creating a new Module: Rohit

Explanation of the code:

As you can see in the above code, we created a module named rohit_acad.py by creating a new Python file that consists of a function named module_function that helps us to take a parameter and print a statement.

After creating the module, we call the test.py file with the parameter and print the statement.

There are two types of modules in Python:

• Built-in modules
• User-defined modules

Built-in modules

Python has an advantage over other languages because it already comes with a rich standard library and the library contains so many built-in modules that provide us many functions that facilitates us to use code again and again.

There are a few modules in Python like “os”, “sys”, “date-time”, and “random”. We can also import and use any built-in module in Python whenever we want in our program.

User-defined modules

User-defined modules are created by the users. In other words, we can create our functions and classes. After creating the functions and classes, we put them inside the modules.

We can also include any complex code easily with the help of a simple import statement.

Advantages of modules in Python

• With the help of Python modules, we can focus on the small portion of code that helps us simplify the development process and make the code clean and error-free.
• We can also define separate namespaces to avoid collision between the identifier in our program.
• We can also define one module that can be used in different parts of the program to reduce the duplicate code.

What is a package in Python?

In Python, a package is a collection of tools that allow programmers to initiate the code. Or we can say that Python packages are a directory of a collection of modules.

It allows the hierarchy structure of the module namespace. We can simply organize the modules into packages and sub-packages.

Let's understand by an example:

# importing the package  
Import math  
# printing a statement  
print("in this, we have imported the math package ")  

Output:

in this, we have imported the math package

What makes Python Package Different from Modules?

A Python package defines the code as a separate unit for each function when using a library. While the modules themselves are a distinct library with built-in functionality. The advantage of packages over modules is their reusability. This is the main difference between a module and a package in Python.

Explicit namespaces

Explicit namespaces give the program default namespace which is interpreted for the first time. With the help of these namespace, we can serve as the source code for the coding identification.

It is always recommended to be familiar with the general namespaces to execute the code correctly in Python. 

Convenience API

Generally, this is a way to namespace specific code objects. It takes the user right to the core of the code, making it simple to see problems as well.

Additionally, it aids in interpreting the codes to be used as user interface codes when needed.