In Python, docstrings (documentation strings) are special string literals placed immediately after the definition of a function, class, method, or module to describe its purpose and usage. They are enclosed in triple quotes (""" or ''') and can be accessed at runtime via the .__doc__ attribute or the built-in help() function.

Unlike comments, docstrings are part of the object’s metadata, making them useful for interactive help systems and automatic documentation tools like pydoc or Sphinx.

Basic Example:

Common Styles:

• One-line docstrings: Short, concise description ending with a period.

• Multi-line docstrings: Summary line, blank line, then detailed description.

• Google style:

• NumPy style: