The classification of complex of real finite dimensional Lie algebras which are not semi simple is still in its early stages. For example the nilpotent Lie algebras are classified only up to the dimension 7. Moreover, to recognize a given Lie algebra in a classification list is not so easy. In this work we propose a different approach to this problem. We determine families for some fixed invariants, the classification follows by a deformation process or contraction process. We focus on the case of 2 and 3-step nilpotent Lie algebras. We describe in both cases a deformation cohomology of this type of algebras and the algebras which are rigid regarding this cohomology. Other $p$-step nilpotent Lie algebras are obtained by contraction of the rigid ones.
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