📦 Module, Package, Library, Framework in Python

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🔹 1. Module

A module is a single Python file (.py) that contains code—functions, classes, variables, etc.

# my_module.py
def greet(name):
    return f"Hello, {name}!"

You can import this module:

import my_module
print(my_module.greet("Alice"))

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🔹 2. Package

A package is a collection of modules grouped together in a directory with an __init__.py file (can be empty).

my_package/
│
├── __init__.py
├── module1.py
└── module2.py

You can import like this:

from my_package import module1

Note: In modern Python (3.3+), __init__.py is optional, but still commonly used.

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🔹 3. Library

A library is a broader term—it refers to a collection of packages and modules that offer related functionality.

Examples:

• NumPy – numerical operations
• Pandas – data analysis
• Requests – HTTP requests

So a library may consist of many packages, each with its own modules.

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🔹 4. Framework

A framework is a more structured collection of libraries designed to help build applications, especially web or GUI ones.

Examples:

• Django – web framework
• Flask – micro web framework
• PyTorch – deep learning framework

Frameworks are opinionated—they define how you should structure your app.

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🔹 5. Standard Library

This is the built-in set of modules that comes with Python. You don’t need to install them.

Examples:

• os – interacting with the operating system
• math – mathematical functions
• datetime – working with dates and times

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🔹 6. Virtual Environment

An isolated environment where Python packages are installed. Prevents conflicts between different projects.

python -m venv myenv
source myenv/bin/activate  # or myenv\Scripts\activate on Windows

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🧾 Summary Table

Term	Description	Example
Module	A single .py file	math.py
Package	A folder of modules (with __init__.py)	mypackage/
Library	Collection of packages/modules	NumPy, Pandas
Framework	Structured toolkit for app development	Django, Flask
Standard Library	Built-in modules with Python	os, random, json
Virtual Env	Isolated environment for managing packages	venv, virtualenv

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