8. Classes & Instances

The 'self' Parameter

In Python, methods must explicitly accept the instance as the first argument. We call it self.

python
class User:
    def __init__(self, name):
        self.name = name  # Attach 'name' to this specific object

Class vs Instance Attributes

python
class Server:
    # Class Attribute (Shared by ALL servers)
    region = "US-East"

    def __init__(self, ip):
        # Instance Attribute (Unique to THIS server)
        self.ip = ip

s1 = Server("1.1.1.1")
s2 = Server("2.2.2.2")

Server.region = "EU-West" # Changes for BOTH s1 and s2!