Reference library

Python Code Samples

Easy snippets you can copy, study, and run in the browser editor.

123 matches
Modern tooling easy

How to Load and Inspect Data Files in Python

A beginner-friendly DataLoader dataclass that loads JSON or text files and provides methods to preview and inspect the data.

dataclasses file-io json
Python
from dataclasses import dataclass, field
from pathlib import Path
import json
from typing import Any, Dict, List


@dataclass
class DataLoader:
    """Simple helper to load and inspect data files for beginners."""
    path: Path
    data: Any = field(init=False, default=None)

    def __post_init__(self) -> None:
    …
16 0 Open
Modern tooling easy

How to Load and Save CSV and JSON Files in Python

A beginner-friendly data helper that loads or saves CSV and JSON files using only the Python standard library, with automatic format detection from the file extension.

csv json file-io
Python
from pathlib import Path
import json
import csv


def load_data(file_path):
    """Load CSV or JSON data from disk based on file extension."""
    path = Path(file_path)
    if path.suffix == ".json":
        with path.open() as f:
            return json.load(f)
    elif path.suffix == ".csv":
        with path.open(…
13 0 Open
Modern tooling easy

How to Parse and Extract Nested Data in Python

Load JSON files with Path and recursively extract values by key from nested Python structures using modern typing and standard library.

json pathlib recursion
Python
import json
from pathlib import Path
from typing import Any, Dict, List, Union

def load_data(filepath: Union[str, Path]) -> Union[Dict[str, Any], List[Any]]:
    """Load JSON data from a file with modern Path handling."""
    path = Path(filepath)
    if not path.exists():
        raise FileNotFoundError(f"File not f…
12 0 Open
Modern tooling easy

How to Read the Python Path from VS Code settings.json in Python

This code loads VS Code's settings.json file and extracts the python.defaultInterpreterPath value, with a mock demonstration for testing.

vscode settings json
Python
import json
from pathlib import Path
from unittest.mock import patch

def read_vscode_python_path(settings_path: Path) -> str:
    """Extract python.defaultInterpreterPath from VS Code settings.json."""
    with open(settings_path, "r") as f:
        settings = json.load(f)
    return settings.get("python", {}).get("d…
13 0 Open
Modern tooling easy

How to Save and Load JSON Files in Python

Create a simple data helper to save Python dictionaries as pretty-printed JSON files and load them back reliably using pathlib and the stdlib json module.

json pathlib file-io
Python
import json
from pathlib import Path
from typing import Any


def save_json(data: Any, filename: str) -> None:
    """Save data as pretty-printed JSON to the current directory."""
    path = Path(filename)
    with path.open("w", encoding="utf-8") as f:
        json.dump(data, f, indent=2, ensure_ascii=False)


def lo…
11 0 Open
System design patterns easy

Create a Data Helper Class in Python

A reusable DataHelper class that saves and loads JSON and CSV files from a configurable base directory, with automatic header detection for CSV.

data-helper json csv
Python
import json
import csv
from pathlib import Path

class DataHelper:
    def __init__(self, base_path="."):
        self.base_path = Path(base_path)
        self.base_path.mkdir(exist_ok=True)

    def save_json(self, data, filename):
        path = self.base_path / filename
        with open(path, "w") as f:
          …
15 0 Open
System design patterns easy

Idempotent Consumer: Store Processed IDs in Python

Implement an idempotent consumer that persists processed message IDs to a JSON file, skipping duplicates on restart.

idempotency duplicate-detection state-persistence
Python
import json
from pathlib import Path


class IdempotentStore:
    def __init__(self, storage_path: str = "processed_ids.json"):
        self.storage_path = Path(storage_path)
        self.processed_ids = self._load()

    def _load(self) -> set:
        if self.storage_path.exists():
            with self.storage_path…
15 0 Open
API design & gRPC easy

Convert Protobuf to JSON and Dict in Python

Provides static helper methods to convert between protobuf messages, JSON strings, and Python dictionaries using the google.protobuf library.

protobuf json grpc
Python
from google.protobuf.json_format import MessageToJson, Parse
import json


class DataConverter:
    """Helper class to convert between protobuf messages and common formats."""

    @staticmethod
    def to_json(message, indent=2):
        """Convert a protobuf message to JSON string."""
        return MessageToJson(me…
18 0 Open
API design & gRPC easy

Create a Data Helper in Python for gRPC-style APIs

This code builds a simple DataHelper class that mimics gRPC request/response handling with in-memory storage, JSON serialization, and basic CRUD operations for beginners.

dataclasses grpc api-design
Python
import json
from dataclasses import dataclass, asdict
from typing import Dict, Any


@dataclass
class User:
    user_id: int
    name: str
    email: str


class DataHelper:
    """Simple helper to demonstrate gRPC-like data handling for beginners."""

    def __init__(self) -> None:
        self._users: Dict[int, Use…
15 0 Open
API design & gRPC easy

Generate an OpenAPI Spec from Mock Routes in Python

This Python script generates an OpenAPI 3.0 specification from a simple mock routes dictionary, mapping each HTTP method to response examples.

openapi api-docs api-design
Python
import json
from pathlib import Path


def generate_openapi_spec(routes: dict, title: str = "Mock API", version: str = "1.0.0") -> dict:
    paths = {}
    for route, methods in routes.items():
        path_item = {}
        for method, response_data in methods.items():
            method = method.lower()
            …
15 0 Open
API design & gRPC easy

How to Add HATEOAS Links to a Python API Response

Build a Python API resource class that adds self and next HATEOAS links to JSON responses, with a mock example for pagination.

hateoas api-design rest
Python
import json


class Resource:
    def __init__(self, name, data, next_page=None):
        self.links = {"self": f"/api/resources/{name}"}
        if next_page is not None:
            self.links["next"] = f"/api/resources?page={next_page}"
        self.data = data

    def to_dict(self):
        return {"links": self.…
13 0 Open
API design & gRPC easy

How to Add a Correlation ID Tracing Header in Python

A mock middleware generates or preserves a correlation ID header and logs structured JSON messages with it for API request tracing.

correlation-id tracing middleware
Python
import uuid
import json
from dataclasses import dataclass, field
from typing import Optional

@dataclass
class Request:
    headers: dict = field(default_factory=dict)

    def get(self, key, default=None):
        return self.headers.get(key, default)

class CorrelationIdMiddleware:
    def __init__(self, header_name…
16 0 Open
API design & gRPC easy

How to Create an RFC 7807 Error JSON in Python

Construct a structured error response using the RFC 7807 Problem Details format with a reusable function.

rfc7807 json error-handling
Python
import json
from typing import Dict


def create_rfc7807_error(
    type_: str,
    title: str,
    status: int,
    detail: str,
    instance: str,
    extra_fields: Dict[str, object] | None = None,
) -> str:
    """
    Build a JSON string following RFC 7807 Problem Details format.
    """
    problem = {
        "t…
14 0 Open
API design & gRPC easy

How to Expand Related Resources with a Mock Embed in Python

Simulate API response embedding by attaching mock embedded data to each related resource in a list using a simple Python class.

api embed mock
Python
import json

class EmbedMock:
    def __init__(self, resources):
        self.resources = resources

    def expand(self):
        for resource in self.resources:
            resource["embedded"] = self._generate_embed()

    def _generate_embed(self):
        return {
            "id": 1,
            "type": "mock",
…
15 0 Open
API design & gRPC easy

How to Implement Sparse Fieldsets in Python

A function that filters API responses by resource type, returning only requested fields plus IDs, as a sparse fieldset mock.

api jsonapi sparse-fieldsets
Python
from dataclasses import dataclass, field
from typing import Dict, List, Optional


@dataclass
class MockResponse:
    data: Dict[str, object] = field(default_factory=dict)
    included: List[Dict[str, object]] = field(default_factory=list)


def select_fields(
    data: Dict[str, object],
    sparse_fields: Optional[D…
12 0 Open
API design & gRPC easy

How to Mock an API Key Header Authentication Server in Python

A minimal HTTP server that validates requests using an X-API-Key header and returns JSON responses for authenticated and unauthenticated calls.

api authentication http
Python
import json
from http.server import BaseHTTPRequestHandler, ThreadingHTTPServer

API_KEYS = {"test-user": "secret-key-123"}

class AuthHandler(BaseHTTPRequestHandler):
    def do_GET(self):
        auth = self.headers.get("X-API-Key")
        if not auth or auth not in API_KEYS.values():
            self.send_response…
12 0 Open
API design & gRPC easy

How to Serialize a Dataclass to JSON in Python

Serialize a Python dataclass instance to JSON using asdict and json.dumps for API responses or mocks.

dataclass json serialization
Python
from dataclasses import dataclass, asdict
import json


@dataclass
class UserResponse:
    id: int
    name: str
    email: str
    active: bool = True


if __name__ == "__main__":
    response = UserResponse(id=42, name="Ada Lovelace", email="ada@example.com")
    print(json.dumps(asdict(response), indent=2))
13 0 Open
API design & gRPC easy

How to mock a REST POST endpoint in Python

Create a simple mock REST server that responds to POST requests with a 201 status and a JSON body.

http mock api
Python
import json
from http.server import BaseHTTPRequestHandler, HTTPServer


class MockHandler(BaseHTTPRequestHandler):
    def do_POST(self):
        content_length = int(self.headers.get("Content-Length", 0))
        body = self.rfile.read(content_length) if content_length else b"{}"
        try:
            data = json…
12 0 Open
Streaming & messaging easy

Dead Letter Queue Failed Messages List Mock in Python

Implements a simple in-memory dead letter queue to collect, list, and retry failed messages, with JSON serialization for inspection in streaming pipelines.

dead-letter-queue messaging retry
Python
import json
from collections import deque


class Message:
    def __init__(self, message_id, payload, attempts=0):
        self.message_id = message_id
        self.payload = payload
        self.attempts = attempts

    def __repr__(self):
        return f"Message(id={self.message_id}, attempts={self.attempts})"


c…
16 0 Open
Streaming & messaging easy

Dedupe processed message IDs in Python

Filters an inbox of messages by removing items whose IDs have already been processed, using a set for fast lookups.

deduplication streaming json
Python
from pathlib import Path
import json


def dedupe_processed_ids(inbox_file: Path, processed_file: Path) -> list:
    processed = set(json.loads(processed_file.read_text()))
    inbox = json.loads(inbox_file.read_text())
    deduped = [item for item in inbox if item["id"] not in processed]
    return deduped


if __nam…
13 0 Open
Streaming & messaging easy

How to Serialize and Deserialize JSON Event Payloads in Python

Define an EventPayload class with custom to_json and from_json methods to convert event objects to JSON strings and back, using datetime parsing.

json serialization datetime
Python
import json
from datetime import datetime


class EventPayload:
    def __init__(self, event_id, event_type, timestamp, data):
        self.event_id = event_id
        self.event_type = event_type
        self.timestamp = timestamp
        self.data = data

    def to_json(self):
        return json.dumps({
          …
12 0 Open
Streaming & messaging easy

How to Wrap Message Attributes in a CloudEvent with Python

Create a minimal CloudEvent dataclass that wraps arbitrary message attributes into a JSON envelope, matching CloudEvents 1.0 spec.

cloudevents messaging dataclasses
Python
import json
from dataclasses import dataclass, field, asdict
from typing import Any, Dict
from datetime import datetime, timezone


@dataclass
class CloudEvent:
    message_attributes: Dict[str, Any] = field(default_factory=dict)

    def wrap(self, event_id: str, source: str, event_type: str, data: Any):
        self…
13 0 Open
Caching & Redis easy

Cache Data in Redis with Python

A beginner-friendly Redis cache helper that stores JSON strings with a TTL and retrieves them with the redis-py client.

redis cache ttl
Python
import redis


class DataCache:
    def __init__(self, host="localhost", port=6379, db=0):
        self.client = redis.Redis(host=host, port=port, db=db, decode_responses=True)

    def cache_data(self, key, value, ttl=60):
        self.client.setex(key, ttl, value)

    def get_cached_data(self, key):
        return …
15 0 Open
Caching & Redis easy

How to Cache Function Results with Redis in Python

A RedisCache helper class caches function results using a decorator, with JSON serialization and TTL-based expiry.

redis caching decorator
Python
import redis
import json
from functools import wraps

class RedisCache:
    def __init__(self, host='localhost', port=6379, db=0, ttl=60):
        self.client = redis.Redis(host=host, port=port, db=db, decode_responses=True)
        self.ttl = ttl

    def cached(self, key_prefix):
        def decorator(func):
       …
14 0 Open

Browse by section

Each section groups closely related Python snippets.

Guide: free Python code samples library

Copy-ready Python snippets for learners and developers

PythonSkillset code samples are short, focused examples organised by topic and difficulty. Every snippet is server-rendered HTML — readable by search engines and easy to copy. Open any sample, read the notes, copy the code, then press Try in editor to run it in the browser with Pyodide.

How to use this library

  1. Pick a topic section — strings, lists, files, functions, and more
  2. Open a sample, read How it works, and copy the code block
  3. Run it in the IDE, tweak values, then take a related quiz or tutorial lesson

Samples vs tutorials and challenges

Samples are quick reference — one concept per page. For step-by-step teaching, use our Python tutorials. To test yourself, try quizzes or coding challenges. Clean up style with the Python formatter.