Interview Pro Tip
Red Flag: Decorator that doesn't use functools.wraps—breaks introspection and debugging. Pro-Move: 'I use decorators for retry, logging, and timing; I always use @wraps and parameterized decorators for config (e.g., retry(max_attempts=3)).'
**Decorators** are higher-order functions that wrap another function to add or change behavior. Syntax: `@decorator` before a function. Under the hood: `@deco` is equivalent to `func = deco(func)`. **Why it matters**: Cross-cutting concerns (logging, timing, retries, auth) without modifying core logic. **Architectural benefit**: Separation of concerns; reusable wrappers. **Example**: `def retry(n):\n def wrap(f):\n def inner(*a,**k): ... return f(*a,**k)\n return inner\n return wrap`....
The complete answer continues with detailed implementation patterns, architectural trade-offs, and production-grade considerations. It covers performance optimization strategies, common pitfalls to avoid, and real-world examples from companies like Altimetrik, Infosys. The answer also includes follow-up discussion points that interviewers commonly explore.
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