What is the `enum.Enum` class?

Question

Accepted Answer

**Enum** — create enumeration types with symbolic names.

```python
from enum import Enum, auto

class Color(Enum):
    RED = 1
    GREEN = 2
    BLUE = 3

class Direction(Enum):
    NORTH = auto()  # auto-assign values
    SOUTH = auto()
    EAST = auto()
    WEST = auto()

# Usage
color = Color.RED
print(color.name)   # RED
print(color.value)  # 1

# Compare
if color == Color.RED:
    print("It's red!")

# Iterate
for c in Color:
    print(f"{c.name}: {c.value}")

# Get by value
color = Color(2)  # Color.GREEN

# String enum
from enum import Enum
class Status(str, Enum):
    ACTIVE = "active"
    INACTIVE = "inactive"
```

**Benefits:**
- Type safety.
- Readable code.
- Prevents invalid values.

Python: What is the `enum.Enum` class?