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*args and **kwargs

3 min read ·

*args and **kwargs are used in Python functions to accept a variable number of arguments.
  • *args → handles multiple positional arguments
  • **kwargs → handles multiple keyword arguments
They make functions flexible and dynamic.

*args (Arbitrary Positional Arguments)

What is *args?

*args allows a function to receive any number of positional arguments.
Inside the function, *args is treated as a tuple.

Basic Syntax of *args

Simple *args Example

Looping Through *args

*args with Normal Parameters

Note

Normal parameters must come before *args.

**kwargs (Arbitrary Keyword Arguments)

What is **kwargs?

**kwargs allows a function to accept any number of keyword arguments.
Inside the function, **kwargs is treated as a dictionary.

Basic Syntax of **kwargs

Simple **kwargs Example

Looping Through **kwargs

**kwargs with Normal Parameters

Using *args and **kwargs Together

Caution

Order must be:

  1. Normal parameters
  2. *args
  3. **kwargs

Passing List to *args

Passing Dictionary to **kwargs

Common Mistakes with *args and **kwargs

Using Wrong Order ❌

Treating *args as List ❌

Stop

*args is a tuple and cannot be modified.

Real World Example

Real World Scenario

Student marks system using *args and profile data using **kwargs

Exercise

Practice Task
  1. Create a function using *args to calculate sum
  2. Create a function using **kwargs to print user profile
  3. Use both *args and **kwargs in one function
  4. Pass list and dictionary using unpacking
Learn Python *args and **kwargs | Python Course