Structural Pattern Matching (match/case)

Introduced in Python 3.10, match/case is one of the most powerful additions to the language. It goes far beyond a simple switch statement — it can destructure data, match shapes, and guard on conditions.

Basic Syntax

The _ wildcard is like else — it matches anything. Unlike if/elif, there is no fallthrough between cases (unlike C/Java switch).

Matching Literals

You can match integers, floats, strings, booleans, and None:

OR Patterns (|)

Use | to match multiple values in one case:

Matching Sequences

Match against lists, tuples, and other sequences. Use *rest for variable-length sequences:

Note: the captured variables (x, y, z, rest) are available in the case body.

Matching Mappings (Dicts)

Match dict-like objects by key presence and value:

Mapping patterns only check the specified keys — extra keys in the dict are allowed.

Matching Class Instances

Match against class instances using ClassName(attr=pattern):

Guard Clauses (if)

Add an if guard to a case for additional filtering:

Wildcard _ and Capture Variables

When to Use match vs if/elif

Use match when:

• You're dispatching on the structure or type of data
• You need to destructure and capture parts of the data
• You have many cases based on a single value's identity

Use if/elif when:

• Conditions involve multiple variables
• You need more complex boolean logic
• Targeting Python < 3.10 for compatibility