Tell us about the copy module in Python. What is the difference between copy and deepcopy?

The copy module in Python provides functions for creating copies of objects. Main functions:

• copy.copy(obj) — shallow copy.
• copy.deepcopy(obj) — deep copy.

Difference between copy and deepcopy:

• Shallow copy creates a new object, but nested objects inside it are not copied, only referenced.
• Deep copy recursively copies all nested objects, creating a fully independent copy.

Example:

import copy

original = [1, [2, 3]]
shallow = copy.copy(original)
deep = copy.deepcopy(original)

original[1][0] = 'changed'

print(shallow)  # [1, ['changed', 3]] — nested list changed
print(deep)     # [1, [2, 3]] — deep copy remains unchanged