What is the purpose of the start() method in threading?

The start() method in Python’s threading module is used to begin the execution of a thread. When start() is called, the thread transitions from the new state to the runnable state and eventually to the running state, where it begins executing its target function.

import threading

def print_message():
    print("Thread is running!")

# Creating and starting a thread
thread = threading.Thread(target=print_message)
thread.start()

In this example, calling start() begins the execution of the thread, which then runs the print_message function.

The start() method is crucial for multithreading in Python, as it initiates the actual execution of the thread’s target function. Without calling start(), the thread would never begin execution.