What is the difference between using '=' operator and 'is' operator in Python?

The = operator in Python is used for assigning a value to a variable. For example, a = 5 means that the variable a is assigned the value 5.

The is operator is used to compare object identity, meaning it checks whether two variables point to the same object in memory. For example:

x = [1, 2, 3]
y = x
z = [1, 2, 3]

print(x is y)  # True, because y points to the same object as x
print(x is z)  # False, because z is a different object with the same content

Thus, = is for assignment, and is is for checking object identity.