Can you explain what a property in Python is and how it can be used?

In Python, property is a built-in decorator that allows you to manage access to class attributes, turning methods into properties. This is convenient for encapsulation: you can define a getter, setter, and deleter for an attribute, while using the syntax as if accessing a regular field.

Example usage:

class Person:
    def __init__(self, name):
        self._name = name  # private attribute

    @property
    def name(self):
        return self._name

    @name.setter
    def name(self, value):
        if not value:
            raise ValueError("Name cannot be empty")
        self._name = value

p = Person("Alice")
print(p.name)  # calls the getter
p.name = "Bob"  # calls the setter

Thus, property allows controlling reading and writing of attributes, adding validation or computing values on the fly, while maintaining a convenient and understandable interface.