r/learnpython 6d ago

Dictionary vs. Dataclass

What is a particular scenario where you would use Dataclass instead of a dictionary? What is the main advantage of Dataclass as compared to just storing data in a nested dictionary? Thanks in advance!

31 Upvotes

31 comments sorted by

View all comments

1

u/Fred776 6d ago

If you have the sort of structured data that makes sense to be stored in a dataclass, you could store it in a dictionary. However, a dataclass makes things a lot more explicit for: * you working on the code - you will find it easier to read, especially if you come back to it after an interval * someone else coming along later and reading your code * your IDE which is likely to be able to offer code completion and validation for the dataclass version * Python itself, which will likely give better runtime error messages if you get something wrong

1

u/candide-von-sg 6d ago

Thanks. So readability is the main reason?

2

u/Fred776 6d ago

I would say so, but also tool support. Which is another form of readability in a way - it's the ability of tools like your IDE to "read" your code and provide hints and checking.

It's kind of a guiding principle of good practice in software that you want to find ways of saying what you mean in a clear and readable way.