Python Code
Samples
Easy snippets you can copy, study, and run in the browser editor.
How to Mock a Function Call in Python with unittest.mock
Use unittest.mock.Mock to wrap a function and spy on its call count and arguments in Python.
import random
from unittest.mock import Mock, patch
def select_n_plus_one(numbers: list[int]) -> int:
"""Return the first number that appears more than once, if any."""
seen = set()
for num in numbers:
if num in seen:
return num
seen.add(num)
return -1
def detect_mock(se…How to Optimize SQLite Database Performance in Python
A Python helper that creates an index, enables WAL mode, and tunes synchronous settings to optimize SQLite database performance.
import sqlite3
DATABASE_PATH = "beginners.db"
UNOPTIMIZED_TABLE_SCHEMA = """
CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS users (
id INTEGER PRIMARY KEY,
name TEXT NOT NULL,
email TEXT NOT NULL
)
"""
def optimize_database(db_path: str = DATABASE_PATH) -> dict:
with sqlite3.connect(db_path) as connection:
curs…How to Replicate Data Across All Shards in Python
Mocks a global table that replicates a key-value pair to every shard, ensuring reads return the same value from any shard.
from dataclasses import dataclass
from typing import Dict, List
@dataclass
class Shard:
id: str
data: Dict[str, int]
class GlobalTable:
def __init__(self, shards: List[Shard]):
self._shards = {s.id: s for s in shards}
def set_value(self, key: str, value: int) -> None:
"""Replicate …How to Shard Data by User ID Hash in Python
Deterministically map user IDs to shard indexes using an MD5 hash modulo the shard count in Python.
import hashlib
def shard_id(user_id: str, num_shards: int = 4) -> int:
"""Deterministically map a user_id to a shard index using MD5."""
digest = hashlib.md5(user_id.encode("utf-8")).hexdigest()
return int(digest[:8], 16) % num_shards
if __name__ == "__main__":
user_ids = ["alice", "bob", "carol", "d…How to Speed Up Column Lookups with DataFrame Index in Python
Use pandas set_index to make repeated column value lookups O(1)-style fast instead of scanning the whole DataFrame each time.
import pandas as pd
# Mock dataset with duplicate customer IDs
data = {"customer_id": [101, 102, 103, 101, 104, 102],
"order_amount": [250.0, 85.5, 300.0, 175.25, 420.0, 95.75]}
df = pd.DataFrame(data)
df = df.set_index("customer_id")
# Simulated lookup request
search_id = 102
# Fast index-based lookup (no…How to Validate Data Before Scaling in Python
A reusable Python helper that validates required fields and constraint checks on data rows before entering a database pipeline, improving data quality and throughput.
def validate_data(data, required_fields, constraints=None):
"""
Basic validation helper demonstrating data-quality workflows
before scaling (catches bad rows early, improves throughput).
"""
constraints = constraints or {}
errors = []
for field in required_fields:
if field not in d…How to enforce a unique index constraint in Python
Mock a database unique index in Python that rejects duplicate rows based on one or more columns.
class MockIndex:
def __init__(self, columns):
self.columns = columns
self._values = set()
def insert(self, row):
key = tuple(row[col] for col in self.columns)
if key in self._values:
raise ValueError(f"Duplicate key {key} for columns {self.columns}")
self._v…How to mock directory-based sharding in Python
Simulates distributing files into logical shards using a deterministic hash of each filename, mocking how a database might shard rows across nodes.
import os
import hashlib
from collections import defaultdict
from pathlib import Path
def get_shard_for_key(key: str, num_shards: int) -> int:
"""Return a deterministic shard index (0..num_shards-1) for a key."""
digest = hashlib.md5(key.encode('utf-8')).hexdigest()
return int(digest, 16) % num_shards
…Monitor Database Index Bloat in Python
Simulates index bloat checks for database tables using random ratio thresholds and reports alerts per index.
import random
import time
class IndexBloatMonitor:
def __init__(self, thresholds=(0.5, 0.8, 0.9)):
self.thresholds = thresholds
self.indices = {
"users_pk": 48.2,
"orders_created_idx": 124.7,
"products_name_idx": 15.3,
"payments_user_idx": 203.9,
…Rebalance Shard Ranges Across Nodes in Python
A mock rebalancing function that shuffles shard ranges and distributes them evenly across nodes using round-robin assignment.
import random
from dataclasses import dataclass
@dataclass
class Shard:
id: int
start: int
end: int
def rebalance_shards(shards: list[Shard], node_count: int) -> dict[int, list[Shard]]:
"""Mock rebalancing of shard ranges across nodes."""
all_ranges = [(s.start, s.end) for s in shards]
random…Route SELECT Queries to Read Replicas in Python
A mock round-robin router that forwards SELECT queries to read replicas and sends writes to the primary.
import random
class ReadReplicaRouter:
"""Round-robin router that sends SELECT queries to read replicas."""
def __init__(self, replicas):
self.replicas = replicas
self.counter = 0
def route(self, sql):
if sql.strip().upper().startswith("SELECT"):
replica = sel…Simulate PostgreSQL Vacuum to Reclaim Space in Python
A Python class that safely rewrites a data file to remove deleted rows and reclaim physical space, mimicking PostgreSQL's VACUUM operation.
import shutil
import os
class VacuumCleaner:
"""Simulates PostgreSQL-style vacuum reclaiming dead space in a file."""
def __init__(self, filepath, fill_ratio=0.7, dead_marker="[DELETED]"):
self.filepath = filepath
self.fill_ratio = fill_ratio
self.dead_marker = dead_marker
…UUID vs sequential primary key in Python
Simulate and compare UUID vs sequential primary key generation in Python to understand trade-offs in ordering and uniqueness.
import uuid
import time
def create_record_with_uuid(name):
record_id = uuid.uuid4()
return {"id": record_id, "name": name}
def create_record_with_sequential_id(name, counter):
counter += 1
return {"id": counter, "name": name}
if __name__ == "__main__":
# Simulate users inserting records
sequ…Build a Mock OIDC Userinfo Endpoint in Python with Flask
Create a local mock OIDC userinfo endpoint in Flask that returns a standard JSON user payload, ideal for testing auth flows without a real identity provider.
from flask import Flask, jsonify
app = Flask(__name__)
@app.route("/userinfo")
def userinfo():
mock_user = {
"sub": "1234567890",
"name": "John Doe",
"email": "john@example.com",
"email_verified": True,
"groups": ["admin", "dev"]
}
return jsonify(mock_user)
if __n…Enforce TLS 1.2 Minimum in Python
Create an SSL context with a minimum TLS version of 1.2 to enforce secure connections.
import ssl
def get_min_tls_version():
context = ssl.SSLContext(ssl.PROTOCOL_TLS_CLIENT)
context.minimum_version = ssl.TLSVersion.TLSv1_2
return context.minimum_version
if __name__ == "__main__":
min_version = get_min_tls_version()
print(f"Minimum TLS version set to: {min_version.name} (value: {mi…Fetch Secrets from a Mock Secrets Manager in Python
Build a minimal in-memory secrets manager that stores and retrieves secret values, raising a KeyError for missing names.
import json
class SecretsManager:
"""Mock secrets manager that returns secrets from a local store."""
def __init__(self, store=None):
self.store = store or {
"api_key": "mock-api-key-123",
"db_password": "s3cret-p@ss",
"jwt_secret": "dev-only-secret"
}
…How to Check Negotiated Cipher Suite in Python
Connect to a TLS server with Python's ssl module and print the negotiated protocol version and cipher suite details.
import ssl
import socket
def get_cipher_suites(hostname, port=443):
context = ssl.create_default_context()
context.set_ciphers("DEFAULT:@SECLEVEL=2")
with socket.create_connection((hostname, port), timeout=5) as sock:
with context.wrap_socket(sock, server_hostname=hostname) as ssock:
…How to Create Secure Session Cookies in Python with Secure, HttpOnly, and SameSite Flags
This code demonstrates how to create a secure session cookie using Python's stdlib, setting Secure, HttpOnly, and SameSite attributes to protect against common web vulnerabilities.
import http.cookies
import secrets
class SessionManager:
def __init__(self):
self.cookie = http.cookies.SimpleCookie()
def create_session_cookie(self, session_id=None):
session_id = session_id or secrets.token_hex(16)
self.cookie["session"] = session_id
self.cookie["session"][…How to Enforce a Strict Referrer Policy in Python
Validate HTTP headers to enforce a strict same-origin Referrer policy, accepting only origin-only URLs or absent Referer values.
import re
from unittest.mock import patch
def strict_referrer_policy(headers):
"""Return True if Referer header is absent or strictly same-origin."""
referer = headers.get("Referer")
if referer is None:
return True
# Strict-Origin-When-Cross-Origin allows same-origin full URL
# but here we…How to Generate PKCE Code Challenge in Python
This Python script generates a PKCE code verifier and its corresponding S256 code challenge for secure OAuth2 authorization flows.
import base64
import hashlib
import os
import secrets
import string
def generate_code_verifier(length=64):
alphabet = string.ascii_letters + string.digits + "-._~"
return "".join(secrets.choice(alphabet) for _ in range(length))
def generate_code_challenge(code_verifier, method="S256"):
if method == "S256…How to Generate and Verify HMAC Signatures in Python
Create and validate HMAC-SHA256 signatures with a shared secret key using Python's hmac and hashlib modules.
import hashlib
import hmac
SECRET_KEY = b"pepper-secret-2024"
def generate_hmac(message: str) -> str:
return hmac.new(SECRET_KEY, message.encode("utf-8"), hashlib.sha256).hexdigest()
def verify_hmac(message: str, received_hmac: str) -> bool:
expected = generate_hmac(message)
return hmac.compare_digest(e…How to Hash Passwords Securely in Python
Hash passwords with PBKDF2, random salts, and constant pepper, plus generate secure API keys using Python's stdlib.
import hashlib
import secrets
import time
import hmac
def hash_password(password: str, salt: str = None, pepper: str = "static-pepper") -> dict:
"""Hash a password with a random salt and constant pepper."""
if salt is None:
salt = secrets.token_hex(16)
salted = f"{pepper}{salt}{password}"
dig…How to Hash Passwords with bcrypt in Python
Hash a plaintext password with bcrypt using a randomly generated salt, then verify a plaintext attempt against the stored hash.
import bcrypt
def hash_password(password: str) -> str:
"""Hash a password using bcrypt with a generated salt."""
salt = bcrypt.gensalt()
return bcrypt.hashpw(password.encode("utf-8"), salt).decode("utf-8")
def check_password(password: str, hashed: str) -> bool:
"""Verify a plaintext password against …How to Hash and Verify Passwords in Python
Hash passwords securely with PBKDF2-SHA256 and verify them using a constant-time comparison.
import hashlib
import hmac
import secrets
from typing import Tuple
def hash_password(password: str, salt: str = None) -> Tuple[str, str]:
"""Hash a password with a random salt using PBKDF2-SHA256."""
salt = salt or secrets.token_hex(16)
hashed = hashlib.pbkdf2_hmac(
"sha256", password.encode("utf…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
- Pick a topic section — strings, lists, files, functions, and more
- Open a sample, read How it works, and copy the code block
- 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.