Video Summary

In Python, metaclasses are classes that define the behavior of other classes. They're powerful tools for controlling class creation, allowing you to customize class attributes, methods, and even the class's inheritance structure. A metaclass acts as a factory for classes. When you define a class using the `class` keyword, Python secretly uses a metaclass to create that class. The default metaclass is `type`. By defining a custom metaclass, you can intercept and modify the class creation process. This can be used for various purposes like enforcing naming conventions, adding automatic methods, registering classes, or creating singletons. For instance, you might use a metaclass to automatically add logging functionality to all classes in your project or to ensure that all classes in a module follow a particular interface. Although powerful, metaclasses can add significant complexity, making them a more advanced topic best suited for when more straightforward approaches are insufficient.