Difference between os.path.exists and os.path.isfile?

I'm curious when these two functions will return different values. Also if you could clarify the difference between a path/directory/file that would be appreciated.

As you have already found out, the difference between exists and isfile is the fact that the former returns True in case the given path is a directory or a file, while the latter only returns True if the path points to a file.

Directories and files are quite similar from the technical point of view. A file can contain any kind of data. A directory is just a special entry in the file system (at least on Unix operating systems it is just a special file) that represents the fact that it may contain files and other directories. It is a helpful means for building up a data structure. Using directories, you can organize your data in a hierarchical structure.

Especially in the Windows world, directories are often called "folders". I am sure that you yourself are using "folders" for organizing your files.

A path is an unambiguous pointer to a resource in the file system. It can either point to a file or to a directory.

A directory tests true for exists, but false for isfile. There are a few different types of filesystem objects for which that is also true.

isfile means that it is a regular file. It is more specific than exists.