Do you use the get/set pattern (in Python)?

In python, you can just access the attribute directly because it is public:

class MyClass:

    def __init__(self):
        self.my_attribute = 0  

my_object = MyClass()
my_object.my_attribute = 1 # etc.

If you want to do something on access or mutation of the attribute, you can use properties:

class MyClass:

    def __init__(self):
        self._my_attribute = 0

    @property
    def my_attribute(self):
        # Do something if you want
        return self._my_attribute

    @my_attribute.setter
    def my_attribute(self, value):
        # Do something if you want
        self._my_attribute = value

Crucially, the client code remains the same.

Cool link: Python is not Java :)

In Java, you have to use getters and setters because using public fields gives you no opportunity to go back and change your mind later to using getters and setters. So in Java, you might as well get the chore out of the way up front. In Python, this is silly, because you can start with a normal attribute and change your mind at any time, without affecting any clients of the class. So, don't write getters and setters.