What is the purpose of the @staticmethod decorator in Python and how does it differ from regular class methods?

The @staticmethod decorator in Python is used to define a method inside a class that does not depend on the class instance and does not automatically take the self parameter.

Differences from regular methods:

• Regular methods take self as the first parameter — a reference to the current instance of the class.
• Static methods do not take self or cls (a reference to the class).

This means that a static method is simply a function that is logically related to the class but does not use its state.

Example:

class MyClass:
    @staticmethod
    def static_method(x, y):
        return x + y

    def instance_method(self, x, y):
        return x * y

print(MyClass.static_method(3, 4))  # 7
obj = MyClass()
print(obj.instance_method(3, 4))   # 12

Static methods are useful for utility functions that make sense in the context of the class but do not require access to its data.