Does __init__ create an object?

The __init__ method in Python does not create an object; it initializes an already created object.

When you call a class, for example obj = MyClass(), first the __new__ method is called, which is responsible for creating a new instance of the class (object). After the object is created, __init__ is called to initialize this object — setting initial attribute values and performing other setup.

Example:

class MyClass:
    def __new__(cls, *args, **kwargs):
        print("Creating object")
        return super().__new__(cls)

    def __init__(self, value):
        print("Initializing object")
        self.value = value

obj = MyClass(10)

The output will be:

Creating object
Initializing object

Thus, __init__ is not a constructor in the traditional sense, but a method for initializing an object after its creation.