What is a file descriptor used in Python?

File descriptors are a low-level facility for working with files directly provided by the OS kernel. A file descriptor is an integer that identifies the open file in a table of open files kept by the kernel for each process. A number of system calls accept file descriptors, but they are not convenient to work with, typically requiring fixed-width buffers, multiple retries in certain conditions, and manual error handling.

File objects are Python classes that wrap file descriptors to make working with files more convenient and less error-prone. For example, they provide error-handling, buffering, line-by-line reading and are closed when garbage collected.

Rajendra Dharmkar

Updated on 30-Jul-2019 22:30:20

• Related Questions & Answers
• What is a JAR file?
• Importance of Module Descriptor in a Module in Java 9?
• What is a TestNG xml file in TestNG?
• What is a Distributed File System (DFS)?
• What is a Selector and how it is used in CSS?
• How to check if a file is a directory or a regular file in Python?
• What are the types of system calls used in file management?
• What is CSS and why it is used?
• What is an array and what is it used for?
• What is the keyword used in instantiating a class in Java?
• What is HTML5 file Blob.slice() method
• What are the attributes of a file object in Python?
• What should be the Python class order in a file?
• What method is used to create a daemon thread in Java?
• What is Get-Content in PowerShell used for?