Abstract Base Class in Python

Elshad Karimov
3 min readMay 29, 2024
Photo by Alex Knight on Unsplash

An abstract base class (ABC) in Python is a foundational class that defines a common API for a set of subclasses. It works as a template for other classes, ensuring that derived classes implement particular methods from the base class. ABCs are instrumental in enforcing a certain interface or behavior, which is useful in large systems with many class hierarchies.

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Key Features of Abstract Base Classes

  1. Method Definitions: ABCs allow you to define methods that must be created within any child classes using the @abstractmethod decorator, thus enforcing an interface.

2. Prevent Instantiation: You cannot create instances of an abstract base class. Attempting to instantiate an ABC directly will result in an error.

3. Modularity: ABCs promote a more modular and cleaner design by allowing you to define a set…

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Elshad Karimov

Software Engineer, Udemy Instructor and Book Author, Founder at AppMillers