What is the difference between a module and a package in the context of programming?

In Python, a module is a separate file containing Python code (with the .py extension), which can include functions, classes, and variables. A package is a directory (folder) that contains one or more modules and a file named __init__.py (which can be optional in modern Python versions), indicating that the directory is a package.

That is:

• A module is a single file with code.
• A package is a collection of modules organized in a folder for convenience and code structuring.

Example:

my_package/          # package
  __init__.py        # package initialization
  module1.py         # module
  module2.py         # module

Packages allow creating hierarchies of modules and managing namespaces.