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How to Perform a DNS Lookup for A Records in Python
Resolve a hostname to IPv4 A records using Python's built-in socket.getaddrinfo and return a sorted list of addresses.
import socket
def get_a_records(hostname):
"""Fetch A records (IPv4 addresses) for a given hostname."""
try:
# getaddrinfo with family AF_INET restricts to IPv4 (A records)
infos = socket.getaddrinfo(hostname, None, socket.AF_INET)
# Each info tuple: (family, type, proto, canonname, so…
How to Quarantine Suspicious Files in Python
Move files with suspicious extensions to a quarantine folder using pathlib and shutil for safe isolation.
import shutil
import os
from pathlib import Path
def quarantine_files(source_dir, quarantine_dir, suspicious_extensions):
"""
Move files with suspicious extensions to a quarantine folder.
Returns list of moved files.
"""
source_path = Path(source_dir)
quarantine_path = Path(quarantine_dir)
…
How to Recover Deleted .txt Files from a Backup in Python
A Python function that searches a backup directory recursively and copies all .txt files to a destination folder, printing each recovered file name and a total count.
import os
import shutil
from pathlib import Path
def recover_deleted_txt_files(source_backup_dir: str, destination_dir: str) -> None:
"""Recover .txt files from backup directory."""
backup_path = Path(source_backup_dir)
dest_path = Path(destination_dir)
dest_path.mkdir(parents=True, exist_ok=True)
…
How to Resize Hundreds of Images in Batch with Python
Resize every image in a folder to a target size using Pillow, creating a new subfolder for processed files.
import os
from PIL import Image
def resize_images_in_batch(directory, output_size=(800, 600)):
if not os.path.exists(directory):
print(f"Directory {directory} does not exist.")
return
output_dir = os.path.join(directory, "resized")
os.makedirs(output_dir, exist_ok=True)
for filename in…
How to Save a VM Snapshot State to a JSON File in Python
Define a dataclass for a VM snapshot and serialize it to a JSON file, then reload it to verify the state.
import json
from dataclasses import dataclass, asdict
from pathlib import Path
@dataclass
class VMSnapshot:
name: str
memory_mb: int
disk_gb: int
state: str = "saved"
def snapshot_to_file(self, path: Path) -> str:
"""Write snapshot state to a JSON file and return the filename."""
…
How to Scan Files Against a Malware Hash List in Python
Compare a file's SHA-256 hash against a known malware hash set and report whether it's clean or infected.
import hashlib
from pathlib import Path
# Mock file content (in real usage, read from disk)
MOCK_FILE_CONTENT = b"print('hello world')"
KNOWN_MALWARE_HASHES = {
"8d969eef6ecad3c29a3a629280e686cf0c3f5d5a86aff3ca12020c923adc6c92",
"5e884898da28047151d0e56f8dc6292773603d0d6aabbdd62a11ef721d1542d8",
}
def sha25…
How to Schedule Local Tasks Without Cron in Python
Run periodic tasks on a loop using the schedule library to mimic cron-like behavior from within Python.
import schedule
import time
from datetime import datetime
def greet():
print(f"Hello at {datetime.now().strftime('%H:%M:%S')}")
def check_time():
now = datetime.now()
print(f"Current time: {now:%H:%M:%S}")
schedule.every(5).seconds.do(greet)
schedule.every(10).seconds.do(check_time)
schedule.every(1).mi…
How to Simulate a Traceroute in Python
This Python script simulates a network traceroute by generating mock hop IPs, random delays, and a destination reach condition, useful for testing network scripts.
import random
import time
def simulate_traceroute(destination, max_hops=30):
"""Simulate a traceroute to a destination with mock hop delays."""
print(f"Traceroute to {destination} ({max_hops} hops max):")
for hop in range(1, max_hops + 1):
# Mock IP address for the hop
mock_ip = f"10.0.{ra…
How to Sort Command-Line Arguments in Python
Build a beginner-friendly argparse CLI that sorts numbers or words passed as arguments, with an optional reverse flag.
import argparse
def main():
parser = argparse.ArgumentParser(description="Sort numbers or words from the command line.")
parser.add_argument("items", nargs="+", help="Items to sort (numbers or words)")
parser.add_argument("--reverse", "-r", action="store_true", help="Sort in descending order")
args =…
How to Split PDF Pages into Ranges in Python
Simulates splitting a PDF into page ranges by validating and returning structured range splits for automation workflows.
import os
def split_pdf_ranges(pdf_name, num_pages, ranges):
"""
Simulates splitting a PDF by returning the page ranges that would be split.
Args:
pdf_name (str): Name of the PDF file.
num_pages (int): Total number of pages in the PDF.
ranges (list of tuple): List of (start, end) …
How to Strip EXIF Metadata from Images in Python
Remove EXIF metadata from image bytes using Pillow, with a mock JPEG generator for testing.
from PIL import Image
from PIL.ExifTags import TAGS
from io import BytesIO
import struct
def strip_exif(image_bytes, remove_metadata=True):
"""Remove EXIF metadata from image bytes."""
img = Image.open(BytesIO(image_bytes))
if remove_metadata:
# Clear all metadata
img.info.clear()
# Sa…
How to Tail and Colorize Error Lines in Python
Reads the last N lines of a log file and prints error lines in red using ANSI color codes.
import sys
import time
from pathlib import Path
def tail_colorize(filename: str, lines: int = 20) -> None:
"""Read last N lines of a file, printing errors in red."""
path = Path(filename)
if not path.exists():
print(f"File '{filename}' not found.", file=sys.stderr)
return
# Read last …
How to Update a Hosts File to Block Distractions in Python
This script updates a local hosts file (or a demo file) by adding or updating entries to block distracting websites like Facebook and Twitter.
from pathlib import Path
def update_hosts(entries):
"""
Add or update blocking entries in the hosts file.
Uses a local demo file by default to avoid system changes.
"""
hosts_path = Path("demo_hosts.txt")
# Create demo file if it doesn't exist
if not hosts_path.exists():
hosts…
How to Watch a Folder and Convert New Images in Python
Watch a folder for new files and mock-convert images by copying and renaming them in an output directory.
import time
import hashlib
from pathlib import Path
from datetime import datetime
def mock_convert_image(source: Path, dest_dir: Path) -> Path:
"""Mock image conversion: copy bytes and add .converted suffix."""
dest = dest_dir / f"{source.stem}.converted{source.suffix}"
dest.write_bytes(source.read_bytes(…
How to Write an IP Block List to hosts.deny in Python
This Python script validates a list of IP addresses and CIDR ranges, then writes them to a hosts.deny file to block connections at the TCP wrapper level.
from ipaddress import ip_network
def write_hosts_deny(ip_list, output_file="hosts.deny"):
with open(output_file, "w") as f:
for ip in ip_list:
try:
ip_network(ip)
f.write(f"ALL: {ip}\n")
except ValueError:
continue
print(f"Written…
How to automatically organize your Downloads folder by file type in Python
This script scans the Downloads folder and moves files into sub-folders based on their extensions (e.g., Images, Documents, Videos).
import os
import shutil
from pathlib import Path
def organize_downloads_folder(downloads_path=None):
if downloads_path is None:
downloads_path = str(Path.home() / "Downloads")
if not os.path.exists(downloads_path):
print(f"Path {downloads_path} does not exist.")
return
fi…
How to generate an htpasswd bcrypt entry in Python
Create a mock htpasswd file entry with a bcrypt-hashed password for a given username using a simple Python script.
import bcrypt
def mock_htpasswd_entry(username, password):
salt = bcrypt.gensalt(rounds=12)
hashed = bcrypt.hashpw(password.encode(), salt).decode()
return f"{username}:{hashed}"
if __name__ == "__main__":
entry = mock_htpasswd_entry("demo_user", "s3cretP@ss")
print(entry)
How to generate website performance reports from HTTP requests in Python
Measure and report website load time, status code, and content size using Python's standard library.
import urllib.request
import time
def measure_website_load_time(url):
"""Measures total loading time of a website."""
start_time = time.time()
try:
with urllib.request.urlopen(url, timeout=10) as response:
content = response.read()
status_code = response.status
…
How to rename music files by ID3 tags in Python
Renames MP3 files in a folder using artist and title extracted from ID3 tags, with a mock fallback that parses filenames.
import os
import re
from pathlib import Path
def sanitize_filename(name: str) -> str:
return re.sub(r'[<>:"/\\|?*]', '_', name).strip()
def rename_mp3_from_id3(path: Path) -> None:
for f in path.glob("*.mp3"):
# Mock ID3 extraction: derive artist/title from filename
stem = f.stem
if "…
How to stage and commit all changes with Git in Python
Run git add -A and git commit from Python using subprocess to automate staging and committing all file changes in one step.
import subprocess
from pathlib import Path
def stage_and_commit_all(commit_message: str) -> None:
"""Stage all changes and create a commit with the given message."""
repo_root = Path.cwd()
if not (repo_root / ".git").exists():
raise RuntimeError("Not inside a Git repository")
subprocess.run([…
How to validate argparse CLI commands in Python
Build a beginner-friendly command-line argument parser with argparse, including required and optional arguments, plus simple validation for age.
import argparse
def main():
parser = argparse.ArgumentParser(description="Validate CLI arguments for beginners.")
parser.add_argument("name", type=str, help="Your name.")
parser.add_argument("--age", type=int, default=None, help="Your age (optional).")
parser.add_argument("--verbose", action="store_t…
Stress CPU Threads with a Mock Compute in Python
Simulates CPU-intensive work across multiple threads to test how Python schedules parallel compute.
import threading
import time
def stress_cpu(iterations: int):
result = 0
for i in range(iterations):
result += i * i % 1000
return result
def run_mock_stress(thread_count: int, iterations: int):
threads = []
for tid in range(thread_count):
t = threading.Thread(target=lambda: str…
Count Records Processed per Category in Python
Use a Counter dictionary to track how many records of each type (ok, error, retry) were processed in a data pipeline.
from collections import Counter
import random
processed_counter = Counter()
def process_records(records):
for record in records:
processed_counter[record] += 1
return len(records)
if __name__ == "__main__":
sample_records = [random.choice(["ok", "error", "retry"]) for _ in range(10)]
print(f…
How to Build Data Processing Functions in Python
Create reusable helper functions to load, filter, transform, and aggregate CSV data in Python.
import csv
from pathlib import Path
def load_data(filepath):
"""Load CSV data into a list of dicts."""
with open(filepath, "r", newline="", encoding="utf-8") as f:
return list(csv.DictReader(f))
def filter_rows(rows, column, value):
"""Keep rows where column equals value."""
return [row for…
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