Python's time.clock() vs. time.time() accuracy?

Question

Which is better to use for timing in Python? time.clock() or time.time()? Which one provides more accuracy?

for example:

start = time.clock()
... do something
elapsed = (time.clock() - start)

vs.

start = time.time()
... do something
elapsed = (time.time() - start)

Answer 1

As of 3.3, time.clock() is deprecated, and it's suggested to use time.process_time() or time.perf_counter() instead.

Previously in 2.7, according to the time module docs:

time.clock()

On Unix, return the current processor time as a floating point number expressed in seconds. The precision, and in fact the very definition of the meaning of “processor time”, depends on that of the C function of the same name, but in any case, this is the function to use for benchmarking Python or timing algorithms.

On Windows, this function returns wall-clock seconds elapsed since the first call to this function, as a floating point number, based on the Win32 function QueryPerformanceCounter(). The resolution is typically better than one microsecond.

Additionally, there is the timeit module for benchmarking code snippets.