“copy” and “deepcopy” create shallow and deep copies of objects from "summary" of Fluent Python by Luciano Ramalho
The distinction between shallow and deep copies is relevant in Python because of its mutable collections, which may contain references to other objects. The `copy()` function is the simplest way to create a shallow copy of any object in Python. A shallow copy creates a new object, but does not create new objects for other objects nested in the copied object. This means that the copy is a new container pointing to the original elements. The `copy()` function creates a new collection and then populates it with references to the nested objects found in the original collection. This can lead to unexpected behavior if the original object contains mutable objects. To create a deep copy, the `deepcopy()` function is used. A deep copy creates a new container and recursively inserts copies of the objects found in the original. This way, the new collection is fully independent of the original. The `deepcopy()` function is more complex because it must create new objects for every object nested in the original collection. This process involves recursively copying every nested object, which can be time-consuming for large and complex data structures. In summary, the concepts of shallow and deep copies are important in Python when dealing with mutable objects that contain references to other objects. By understanding the difference between `copy()` and `deepcopy()`, Python developers can ensure that they are creating the intended copies of their objects.
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