What is the difference between `is` and `==`

The `is` and `==` operators in Python serve different purposes when comparing objects.

The `is` operator checks for identity, meaning it evaluates to True if both operands refer to the same object in memory. In contrast, the `==` operator checks for equality, evaluating to True if the values of both operands are equivalent, regardless of whether they are the same object.

Example

$a = "hello"; $b = "hello"; $c = &$a; // Reference to $a // Comparison using == var_dump($a == $b); // true, because values are equal // Comparison using is var_dump($a is $b); // false, because they are different objects in memory // Comparison using == var_dump($a == $c); // true, because values are equal // Comparison using is var_dump($a is $c); // true, because they refer to the same object

Python is operator comparison equality identity