What is the difference between methods declared as private and protected in Python?

Python does not have strict privacy for methods like some other languages. However, there are conventions:

• Methods starting with a single underscore (_method) are considered "protected" by convention. This means they are intended for use within the class and its subclasses, but are technically accessible from outside.

• Methods starting with double underscores (__method) undergo name mangling — their names are changed by the interpreter to make external access more difficult. This approaches "private" methods, although access cannot be fully restricted.

Example:

class MyClass:
    def _protected_method(self):
        print("This is a protected method")

    def __private_method(self):
        print("This is a private method")

obj = MyClass()
obj._protected_method()  # Works, but not recommended to call from outside
# obj.__private_method()  # AttributeError
obj._MyClass__private_method()  # Can be called via name mangling

Thus, the main difference is the level of "concealment" and access conventions, not strict enforcement.