--- title: What does '__init__.py' do in Python? | daily.dev description: The __init__.py file in Python is used to mark a directory as a package and runs any setup code required for the package. It is essential for allowing Python... canonical: https://daily.dev/posts/what-does-init-py-do-in-python--svzjn0g6f twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:site: @dailydotdev og:type: website og:site_name: daily.dev og:title: What does '__init__.py' do in Python? | daily.dev og:description: The __init__.py file in Python is used to mark a directory as a package and runs any setup code required for the package. It is essential for allowing Python... og:url: https://daily.dev/posts/what-does-init-py-do-in-python--svzjn0g6f og:image: https://api.daily.dev/og/posts/svzJn0g6F.png og:image:alt: What does '__init__.py' do in Python? og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 630 og:locale: en --- > ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://daily.dev/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # What does '__init__.py' do in Python? **[Indently](https://daily.dev/sources/indently)** · 6 min read · 716 upvotes · 28 comments ## Summary The __init__.py file in Python is used to mark a directory as a package and runs any setup code required for the package. It is essential for allowing Python to recognize the folder as a package and enabling imports from it. The file is executed every time the package is imported, and it can be used to define which modules or functions are accessible when using a wildcard import (from package import *). The tutorial demonstrates how to create a package, define modules, and use the __init__.py file to manage different import behaviors. ## Full article daily.dev links to this article rather than hosting it. Read it at the original source: ## Community discussion Top comments from developers on daily.dev. **@prathameshkorde** · 4 upvotes > sure it helps a lot thanks man for help us out **@chrisjohnsson** · 2 upvotes > s-tier vid. instant upvote **@miguelrobredo** · 1 upvotes > If building a package, does It make sense to start the logger into the init file? **@royalboss** · 1 upvotes > __ all __ was new to me. Thanks! **@iriadomj** · 0 upvotes > Absolutely new to me > Thanks a lot🙏 ## Similar posts on daily.dev - [Don’t just attend KubeCon \+ CloudNativeCon, Merge Forward your experience\!](https://daily.dev/posts/don-t-just-attend-kubecon-cloudnativecon-merge-forward-your-experience--l0rpp73x8) · CNCF · 1 upvotes · 0 comments - [Announcing H2 2026 KCDs](https://daily.dev/posts/announcing-h2-2026-kcds-m96goajm1) · CNCF · 1 upvotes · 0 comments - [Two months of Open Community Groups](https://daily.dev/posts/two-months-of-open-community-groups-asf52zhbs) · CNCF · 0 upvotes · 0 comments --- Tags: [#python](https://daily.dev/tags/python) [View this post on daily.dev](https://daily.dev/posts/what-does-init-py-do-in-python--svzjn0g6f) ```json {"@context":"https://schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https://daily.dev/#organization","name":"daily.dev","url":"https://daily.dev","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://daily.dev/apple-touch-icon.png","width":180,"height":180},"sameAs":["https://twitter.com/dailydotdev","https://github.com/dailydotdev","https://www.linkedin.com/company/daily-dev-ltd"]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https://daily.dev/#website","url":"https://daily.dev","name":"daily.dev","publisher":{"@id":"https://daily.dev/#organization"},"potentialAction":{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https://daily.dev/search?q={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}}]} {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"TechArticle","headline":"What does '__init__.py' do in Python?","url":"https://daily.dev/posts/what-does-init-py-do-in-python--svzjn0g6f","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://daily.dev/posts/what-does-init-py-do-in-python--svzjn0g6f"},"datePublished":"2024-10-10T04:10:13.415Z","dateModified":"2024-10-10T04:10:22.531Z","description":"The __init__.py file in Python is used to mark a directory as a package and runs any setup code required for the package. 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Thanks!","datePublished":"2024-10-14T06:04:41.221Z","dateModified":"2024-10-14T06:04:52.614Z","url":"https://daily.dev/posts/svzJn0g6F#c-Mes7TNMmL","author":{"@type":"Person","name":"Ayush Munot","url":"https://daily.dev/royalboss","image":"https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/a/ACg8ocJRnM9_yxLtDkLhZgCPG3rPjBcTz2skKDiXgAr_TA4d=s96-c"},"interactionStatistic":{"@type":"InteractionCounter","interactionType":{"@type":"LikeAction"},"userInteractionCount":1}},{"@type":"Comment","text":"Absolutely new to me\nThanks a lot🙏","datePublished":"2024-11-18T08:57:15.928Z","url":"https://daily.dev/posts/svzJn0g6F#c-mI6sgyRQh","author":{"@type":"Person","name":"Iriavboi jethro oshoma","url":"https://daily.dev/iriadomj","image":"https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/a/ACg8ocIVq7Tk_V8QhI-p5eg3oAHjngU-6s7fIne75kHBzRtNFbOixCI=s96-c"}}]} ```