What is the Difference between Module and Package in Python?

The main difference between a module and a package in Python is that a module is a simple Python script with a .py extension file that contains collections of functions and global variables. In contrast, a package is a directory that contains a collection of modules, and this directory also contains an __init__.py file by which the interpreter interprets it as a package.

What is a Module in Python?

In Python, a module can be a simple python file (.py extension file), i.e., a combination of numerous functions that we can use to provide different functionalities in a program.

Python Modules are essentially Python Programming Statements containing various types of Python Functions used to perform various operations in a Python Program. In the script, Python modules serve as a ready-made library available to programmers and users.

Let’s see an example to understand Python Modules:

Make a new file with any name, say it is $scalerAcad.py$ , and save the code below in this file.

scalerAcad.py

Make a new file with any name, say $test.py$ , and paste the code below into it. Run it.

test.py

Output:

Explanation:
In the above code, we create a new module named $scalerAcad.py$ by creating a new Python file consisting of a function named module_function, which takes a parameter and prints a statement.

Therefore, after creating the module, we use it in the $test.py$ file by importing it, calling it with the parameters, and printing the statement.

What is a Package in Python?

As we discussed earlier, to create large-scale-based real-world applications, we divide large code into smaller pieces to perform different functionalities, resulting in many modules. To collaborate with all of the modules, we create a Python package with an __init__.py file that informs the Python Interpreter that the given folder is a Python Package.

For any source code, a Python package serves as a user-variable interface. This functionality enables any functional runtime script to use a Python package at a specified moment, showing the main difference between the module and the package in Python.

To import a package, we type the following:

In the above code, math is a package.

Only its immediate modules are imported when we import a package, not the sub-packages. If you try to access those, it will raise an AttributeError.

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. So this is the difference between a module and a package in Python.

Explicit Namespaces

It gives the program, which is interpreted for the first time, the default namespace. These namespaces serve as the source code for the coding's identification. However, a novice programmer can also integrate them from the library. However, it is always recommended to be familiar with general namespaces to execute code correctly.

Code:

Output:

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.

Code:

Output:

Learn More

To learn more about modules and packages in Python, visit the links below.

Conclusion

Let's summarise our discussion on the difference between module and package in Python by mentioning some important points.

A Python Module can be a simple python File (.py extension file), i.e., a combination of numerous Functions and Global variables.
A Python Package is a collection of different Python modules with an __init__.py File.
__init__.py Python File works as a Constructor for the Python Package.
Python Packages and Modules support functionalities like Explicit Namespace and Convenience API.
If we talk about the basic difference between module and package in Python. A Python package serves as a user-variable interface, whereas Python modules serve as a ready-made library.