What is the difference between list and tuple?

In Python, both lists and tuples are used to store collections of items, but they have some key differences:

Mutable vs. Immutable

Lists are mutable, which means that you can add, remove, or modify items after the list is created. Tuples, on the other hand, are immutable, which means that you cannot modify them once they are created. If you need to modify the contents of a collection, you should use a list. If you need to ensure that the contents of the collection cannot be changed, you should use a tuple.

Syntax

Lists are enclosed in square brackets [], while tuples are enclosed in parentheses (). For example, a list of integers might look like this: [1, 2, 3], while a tuple of strings might look like this: ('apple', 'banana', 'cherry').

Performance

Tuples are generally faster and more memory-efficient than lists, because they are immutable and don't require the overhead of being able to resize or modify the collection. If you are working with large collections or performance-critical code, you may want to use tuples instead of lists.

Usage

Lists are generally used when you need to store a collection of items that may change over time, such as a list of user names or a list of items in a shopping cart. Tuples are typically used to store collections of related values that do not change, such as a tuple representing a point in 2D space (x, y).