Decorators

Decorators _refer

Decorator Type	Explanation	Use Case	Pros	Cons
@function_decorator	Wraps and modifies a function’s behavior	Logging, validation, caching	1. Cleaner logic reuse 2. Keeps functions modular	1. Harder to debug deeply nested decorators
@staticmethod	Method bound to the class, not to an instance	Math utilities, class-level helper functions	1. No self required 2. Groups functionality logically	1. Can't access or modify class or instance variables
@classmethod	Method bound to the class; receives cls as the first arg	Factory methods, alternative constructors	1. Access to class-level data 2. Used for class-wide state logic	1. No access to instance (self)
@property	Getter method turned into an attribute	Accessing computed values like area, price	1. Clean attribute-like access 2. Useful for read-only fields	1. Can't accept arguments
@functools.wraps	Preserves original metadata of decorated function	Any custom decorator	1. Retains docstrings & names 2. Essential for clean introspection	1. Requires functools import
@contextlib.contextmanager	Allows creating context managers using yield	Managing resources (e.g., open files)	1. Cleaner resource handling 2. Less boilerplate	1. Needs try/finally for robustness
@dataclass	Auto-generates methods like __init__, __repr__	Data container classes	1. Saves time & code 2. Improves readability	1. Not suitable for logic-heavy classes
@lru_cache	Caches return values of a function with given arguments	Expensive or recursive functions	1. Major performance boost 2. Easy to use	1. Only works with hashable inputs
@cached_property	Caches a property’s value after first call	Expensive one-time computations	1. Memory-efficient 2. Used like a property	1. Python 3.8+ only
@singledispatch	Function overloading based on argument type	Type-specific operations	1. Cleaner alternative to if-else type checks	1. Only dispatches on the first argument
@typechecked (via library)	Validates input/output types at runtime	Type safety	1. Prevents silent type bugs 2. Useful in production	1. Extra dependency
Custom Decorator	User-defined decorator for reusable logic	Auth checks, time logging, input validation	1. Flexible & reusable 2. Encapsulates logic	1. Slightly more verbose
Chained Decorators	Applying multiple decorators to one function	Logging + caching + validation	1. Clean modular layers 2. Easy to combine behaviors	1. Order-sensitive
Class Decorator	Affects class-level behavior (entire class wrapped)	Registering models, singleton pattern	1. Dynamic class transformation 2. No metaclass needed	1. Can confuse code readers

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Comparison: @staticmethod vs @classmethod vs Regular Method

Feature	@staticmethod	@classmethod	Regular Method
Access to self	❌	❌	✅
Access to cls	❌	✅	❌
Usage	Utility functions	Class-wide operations, factory methods	Instance-specific logic
Example Use	Math utils	From-config constructor	Changing object’s attributes

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