{"id":6764,"date":"2018-01-30T09:42:17","date_gmt":"2018-01-30T09:42:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/data-flair.training\/blogs\/?p=6764"},"modified":"2026-04-28T14:41:24","modified_gmt":"2026-04-28T09:11:24","slug":"python-generator-vs-iterator","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/data-flair.training\/blogs\/python-generator-vs-iterator\/","title":{"rendered":"Python Generators vs Iterators"},"content":{"rendered":"

It\u2019s been more than a month since we began our journey with Python Programming Language<\/strong><\/a>. Through the days, we have also learned concepts like Python generators and iterators in Python.<\/p>\n

Python iterators and generators are essential tools used for processing, allowing developers to go through the big datasets one by one. While iterators provide you with a guide on how to approach, generators offer a simplified and automated method to achieve the result using specialized functions.<\/p>\n

We know their functionalities. But how are they different? In this lesson, we discuss the comparison of Python generator vs iterator. Before we proceed, let’s discuss Python Syntax<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n

Introduction to Python Generators<\/h3>\n

A generator function in python lends us a sequence of values to python iterate on. The following is an example of generators in python<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n

>>> def even(x):\r\n       while(x!=0):\r\n           if x%2==0:\r\n                 yield x\r\n              x-=1\r\n>>> for i in even(8):\r\n               print(i)<\/pre>\n
8
\n6
\n4
\n2
\nTo see the generator in detail, refer to our\u00a0article on Python Generator<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n
Introduction to Python Iterators<\/h3>\n
A Python iterator returns us an iterator object, one value at a time. Let\u2019s take an example of an iterator in Python.<\/p>\n
>>> iter_obj=iter([3,4,5])\r\n>>> next(iter_obj)<\/pre>\n
3<\/p>\n
>>> next(iter_obj)<\/pre>\n
4<\/p>\n
>>> next(iter_obj)<\/pre>\n
5<\/p>\n
>>> next(iter_obj)<\/pre>\n
Traceback (most recent call last):<\/p>\n
File “<pyshell#560>”, line 1, in <module><\/p>\n
next(iter_obj)<\/p>\n
StopIteration<\/p>\n
For more insight, check our\u00a0Python Iterator tutorial<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n
Comparison Between Generator vs Iterator in Python<\/h3>\n
Let’s see the difference between Iterators and Generators in Python.<\/p>\n
1. In creating a Python generator, we use a function. But in creating an iterator in Python, we use the iter() and next() functions.<\/p>\n
2. A generator in Python makes use of the \u2018yield\u2019 keyword. A Python iterator doesn\u2019t.<\/p>\n
3. Python generator saves the states of the local variables every time \u2018yield\u2019 pauses the loop in python<\/strong><\/a>. An iterator does not make use of local variables; all it needs is iterable to iterate on.<\/p>\n
4. A generator may have any number of \u2018yield\u2019 statements.<\/p>\n
5. You can implement your own iterator using a python class<\/strong><\/a>; a generator does not need a class in Python.<\/p>\n
6. To write a Python generator, you can either use a Python function<\/strong><\/a> or a comprehension. But for an iterator, you must use the iter() and next() functions.<\/p>\n
7. Generators in Python let us write fast and compact code. This is an advantage over Python iterators. They are also simpler to code than a custom iterator.<\/p>\n
8. Python iterators are more memory-efficient. Let’s see this with an example below:<\/p>\n
>>> def func():\r\n       i=1\r\n       while i>0:\r\n                 yield i\r\n                 i-=1\r\n>>> for i in func():\r\n             print(i)<\/pre>\n
1<\/p>\n
>>> func().__sizeof__()<\/pre>\n
32
\nHere, we got 32. But for a Python iterator, we get 16.<\/p>\n
>>> iter([1,2]).__sizeof__()<\/pre>\n
16<\/p>\n
9. A generator returns a generator. Below is an example to understand it.<\/p>\n
>>> f=func()\r\n>>> type(f)<\/pre>\n
<class ‘generator’>
\nHowever, an iterator returns an iterator object.<\/p>\n
>>> i=iter({1,3,2})\r\n>>> type(i)<\/pre>\n
<class ‘set_iterator’><\/p>\n
10. python Generator provides even more functionality as co-routines.<\/p>\n
Relationship Between Python Generators and Iterators<\/h3>\n
a. A python generator is an iterator<\/strong><\/h4>\n
A generator in python is a subclass of Iterator. To prove this, we use the issubclass() function.<\/p>\n
>>> import collections,types\r\n>>> issubclass(types.GeneratorType,collections.Iterator)<\/pre>\n
True<\/p>\n
>>> issubclass(collections.Generator,collections.Iterator)<\/pre>\n
True<\/p>\n
\u00a0>>>\u00a0issubclass(collections.Iterator,types.GeneratorType)<\/pre>\n
False
\nb. Python iterator is an iterable<\/strong><\/p>\n
An iterator in python is a subclass of Iterable.<\/p>\n
>>> issubclass(collections.Iterator,collections.Iterable)<\/pre>\n
True<\/p>\n
Conclusion<\/h3>\n
Every generator is an iterator, but not every iterator is a generator. An iterator may be a class with __next__ that computes items, while a generator is created by a function with yield, letting Python build the iterator for you.<\/p>\n
Hence, we study the difference between Python generator vs iterator and we can say every generator is an iterator in Python<\/strong><\/a>, not every python iterator is a generator. Both come in handy and have their own perks. Tell us what you think in the comments.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
It\u2019s been more than a month since we began our journey with Python Programming Language. Through the days, we have also learned concepts like Python generators and iterators in Python. Python iterators and generators...<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":6771,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[46],"tags":[2755,3882,10555,10624,15865,15866],"class_list":["post-6764","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-python","tag-comparison-between-python-iterator-and-generator","tag-difference-between-python-generator-and-iterator","tag-python-generator-vs-iterator","tag-python-iterator-vs-generator","tag-what-is-python-generator","tag-what-is-python-iterator"],"yoast_head":"\nPython Generators vs Iterators - DataFlair<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Python generator vs Iterator-what is python Generator & Iterator,relationship between Python Iterator & Generator,difference between python Iterator vs Generator\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/data-flair.training\/blogs\/python-generator-vs-iterator\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Python Generators vs Iterators - 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