TIL: dataclasses Auto-Generate __init__, __repr__, and __eq__ for You (2026)

TIL: dataclasses Auto-Generate init, repr, and eq for You

When creating classes in Python, you often find yourself writing boilerplate code for __init__, __repr__, and __eq__ methods. However, with the introduction of @dataclass decorator in Python 3.7, this boilerplate code can be automatically generated for you.

Let's compare a regular class with a @dataclass:

Regular Class

class Person:
    def __init__(self, name, age):
        self.name = name
        self.age = age

    def __repr__(self):
        return f"Person(name={self.name}, age={self.age})"

    def __eq__(self, other):
        return self.name == other.name and self.age == other.age

@dataclass

from dataclasses import dataclass

@dataclass
class Person:
    name: str
    age: int

As you can see, the @dataclass version is much more concise, with the __init__, __repr__, and __eq__ methods automatically generated for you, saving a significant amount of boilerplate code.
The takeaway is that using @dataclass can greatly simplify your code and reduce boilerplate when creating classes in Python.

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