What is the difference between xrange and range?

Xrange and range in Python are both functions used to generate a sequence of integers within a specified range. The difference between them is as follows:

1. Return type: range returns a list, while xrange returns a generator.
2. Memory usage: The range function will generate a complete list in memory, while the xrange function will not generate a complete list, only generating an integer when needed.
3. Efficiency of iteration: Since xrange is a generator, it only needs to store the current position and range during iteration, making it more efficient when dealing with large ranges.

It is important to note that in Python 3, the xrange function has been removed and only the range function remains, but its usage is the same as xrange in Python 2.