= Duck typing
<Duck typing> uses an object's available operations as the practical interface required by a piece of code, rather than demanding membership in one particular class. The <Python> glossary describes calling the needed method or using the needed attribute directly. This supports flexible reuse across unrelated implementations.<python-3-14-documentation/Glossary, Python 3.14 documentation>[duck-typing entry]{ref}
For example, a procedure calling `source.read()` can accept a disk-backed <file> object or an in-memory object providing a compatible `read` method. Sharing that method name is insufficient if one method returns text while the procedure requires <bytes>, or if their error behavior differs. The required interface includes semantics as well as names. <Duck typing> is commonly used with <dynamic typing>, but it does not imply that missing or incompatible operations become valid.
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