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Abstract Base Classes in Python

OOP Architecture

Abstract Base Classes

Abstract base classes (ABCs) enforce contracts and provide shared helpers.

Define an ABCProvide mixins

Definition​

from abc import ABC, abstractmethod

class StorageDriver(ABC):
    @abstractmethod
    def write(self, path: str, data: bytes) -> None: ...

    @abstractmethod
    def read(self, path: str) -> bytes: ...
  • Subclasses must implement abstract methods before they can be instantiated.
  • Mix in concrete helper methods to reduce duplication.

Registration​

Use StorageDriver.register(SomeClass) to treat unrelated classes as virtual subclasses without inheritance.

Next up in your learning path

Polymorphism

Use ABCs to guide duck typing.

Design

Dataclasses

Pair base classes with typed data containers.

Modern

Slots

Optimize subclasses that you instantiate frequently.

Performance