What’s the Real Difference Between Python input() and raw_input()?

In Python 3 the input() function reads a line from standard input and always returns a str object. In Python 2, input() is equivalent to eval(raw_input(prompt)), meaning it evaluates the entered text as a Python expression. raw_input() (Python 2) always returns the entered data as a string, regardless of its content. By contrast, Python 2’s input() attempts to evaluate the input; if the user types a pure number it is returned as an int or float, but non‑numeric text must be quoted or a SyntaxError is raised.

The function signature is input([prompt]), where the optional prompt argument is displayed to the user before reading input.

Example in Python 3:

a = input("Please input your favorite number: ")
# User types 10
# a is the string '10'

b = input("Please input your name: ")
# User types Test
# b is the string 'Test'

Because input() now behaves like the old raw_input(), any numeric input must be explicitly converted, e.g., int(a), if a numeric type is required.

In Python 2 the built‑in input can be expressed in a single line:

def input(prompt):
    return eval(raw_input(prompt))