["python","reference","equality","semantics"]
Is there a difference between "==" and "is"?

My Google-fu has failed me. In Python, are the following two tests for equality equivalent? n = 5 # Test one. if n == 5: print 'Yay!' # Test two. if n is 5: print 'Yay!' Does this hold true for objects where you would be comparing instances (a list say)? Okay, so this kind of answers my question: L = [] L.append(1) if L == [1]: print 'Yay!' # Holds true, but... if L is [1]: print 'Yay!' # Doesn't. So == tests value where is tests to see if they are the same object?
is will return True if two variables point to the same object (in memory), == if the objects referred to by the variables are equal. >>> a = [1, 2, 3] >>> b = a >>> b is a True >>> b == a True # Make a new copy of list `a` via the slice operator, # and assign it to variable `b` >>> b = a[:] >>> b is a False >>> b == a True In your case, the second test works only because Python caches small integer objects, which is an implementation detail. For larger integers, this does not work: >>> 1000 is 10**3 False >>> 1000 == 10**3 True The same holds true for string literals: >>> "a" is "a" True >>> "aa" is "a" * 2 True >>> x = "a" >>> "aa" is x * 2 False >>> "aa" is intern(x*2) True Please see this question as well.