Is there something available in Python like PHP autoloader?

No, Python does not have a direct equivalent to PHP's autoloader, and it doesn't need one. The two languages handle module loading fundamentally differently.

Why PHP Needs Autoloaders

PHP starts a fresh process for each web request, loading all code from scratch every time. Autoloaders optimize this by loading classes only when they are first used, avoiding the cost of loading unnecessary files on every request.

Why Python Doesn't Need One

Python imports modules once when the application starts. The module stays in memory (sys.modules) for the lifetime of the app. Subsequent requests reuse the already-loaded modules without any file I/O.

Comparison

Python's Lazy Import (If Needed)

If you still want to defer imports in Python, you can use importlib ?

import importlib

def get_model(class_name):
    module = importlib.import_module(f"models.{class_name.lower()}")
    return getattr(module, class_name)

# Usage
User = get_model("User")

This is rarely needed since Python's standard import is already efficient and cached.

Conclusion

PHP autoloaders exist because PHP reloads everything per request. Python loads modules once and caches them for the app's lifetime, making autoloaders unnecessary. If you need deferred loading in Python, importlib provides that capability.