Get the class name of a Python instance

Use type(obj).__name__ to get the name of the class that created an instance:

class MyClass:
    pass

obj = MyClass()
print(type(obj).__name__)      # MyClass
print(obj.__class__.__name__)  # MyClass for this ordinary instance

Both expressions agree for ordinary objects. A proxy or custom attribute implementation can report a different __class__, so type(obj) is preferable when you need the actual runtime type.

Include the enclosing class or module

class Outer:
    class Inner:
        pass

obj = Outer.Inner()
cls = type(obj)
print(cls.__qualname__)  # Outer.Inner
print(cls.__module__)    # __main__ when run as a script
print(f"{cls.__module__}.{cls.__qualname__}")

__qualname__ includes enclosing scopes. Classes defined inside functions can include <locals> in that name, so the result is useful identification text, not necessarily an importable path. Two modules can also define classes with the same short __name__.

Use a class name in logs

import logging

class Worker:
    def __init__(self):
        cls = type(self)
        self.logger = logging.getLogger(
            f"{cls.__module__}.{cls.__qualname__}"
        )

This creates a class-oriented logger name without duplicating the class name as a string. A module-level logging.getLogger(__name__) is another common choice and often produces a simpler hierarchy. Keep logger names bounded; avoid creating a new name for every individual object or request.

For serialization, a class name can be a label, but it is not a stable schema identifier or a reason to import and execute arbitrary code supplied in input.

FAQ

How do I get the class itself? type(obj) returns the class object. Calling it constructs a new instance only if you supply the arguments its constructor requires; type(obj)() is not universally valid.

Does this work with built-in objects? Yes: type([]).__name__ is list, and type("").__name__ is str.

What if I already have the class? Read MyClass.__name__ directly. type(MyClass) asks for its metaclass instead.

References

• docs.python.org documentation
• docs.python.org documentation
• docs.python.org documentation