In Python, iterators are powerful tools that enable efficient traversal of collections, such as lists, tuples, and strings. An iterator is an object that implements the iterator protocol, which consists of two essential methods: __iter__() and __next__(). While an iterable can return its elements one at a time, an iterator maintains its state, allowing it to remember its position during iteration. This functionality is particularly useful for processing large datasets, as it allows for memory-efficient looping through elements without needing to load the entire collection into memory at once. Understanding iterators is fundamental for mastering Python’s iteration capabilities.