Instance vs Class vs Static Method

A Python class can have three kinds of methods:

class C:
    
    def instance_method(self):
        pass
    
    @classmethod
    def class_method(cls):
        pass
    
    @staticmethod
    def static_method():
        pass

• Instance method is a function that is bound to the instance itself and the first argument will always be the instance object self. It has access to both instance and class variables. Most methods inside the class are typically instance methods.
• Class method is a function that is bound to the class ONLY and the first argument will always be the class object itself cls. It has access ONLY to the class variables. It is typically used as a factory method.
• Static method is like a plain function that is not bound to neither classs nor instance and doesn’t depend on the state of the object. Therefore, it doesn’t have access to any class or instance variables. It is typically used if it is very close to the class but not exactly belongs to it and is not used from outside the class.