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How to Create a Simple Python CLI with argparse
Build a beginner-friendly command-line tool with argparse that accepts positional and optional arguments to greet users flexibly.
import argparse
def greet(name, greeting="Hello", uppercase=False):
message = f"{greeting}, {name}!"
return message.upper() if uppercase else message
def main():
parser = argparse.ArgumentParser(
description="A simple CLI tool that greets users."
)
parser.add_argument(
"name",
…How to Download a List of URLs to a Directory in Python
This script downloads a list of URLs into a specified directory, creating the folder if needed and keeping original filenames.
import urllib.request
from pathlib import Path
def download_urls(url_list, directory):
"""Download each URL in url_list into directory, keeping original filenames."""
save_dir = Path(directory)
save_dir.mkdir(parents=True, exist_ok=True)
for url in url_list:
filename = url.rstrip('/').spl…How to Generate an Inventory CSV of Installed pip Packages in Python
This script uses subprocess and csv to list all installed pip packages and write their names and versions into a CSV inventory file.
import subprocess
import csv
def get_installed_packages():
"""Return a list of (name, version) tuples for installed pip packages."""
result = subprocess.run(
["pip", "list", "--format=freeze"],
capture_output=True,
text=True,
check=True
)
packages = []
for line in r…How to Hash Duplicate Photos and Delete Copies in Python
This script hashes image files in a directory using SHA-256 and deletes duplicate copies while keeping the first occurrence, ideal for cleaning up photo libraries.
from pathlib import Path
import hashlib
def file_hash(path, chunk_size=8192):
hasher = hashlib.sha256()
with open(path, "rb") as f:
for chunk in iter(lambda: f.read(chunk_size), b""):
hasher.update(chunk)
return hasher.hexdigest()
def delete_duplicate_photos(directory):
directory …How to Implement argparse CLI Command in Python
Build a beginner-friendly command-line tool with argparse that accepts positional and optional arguments, flags, and prints a customizable greeting.
import argparse
def main():
parser = argparse.ArgumentParser(description="A simple CLI tool to greet users.")
parser.add_argument("name", help="Your name")
parser.add_argument("-g", "--greeting", default="Hello", help="Greeting word (default: Hello)")
parser.add_argument("--uppercase", action="store_…How to Mock a Whisper API Transcription Stub in Python
Simulate an OpenAI Whisper-style transcription response with a dataclass request model and a mock function that returns structured audio transcription output.
import json
from dataclasses import dataclass
from typing import Optional
@dataclass
class AudioRequest:
file_path: str
language: Optional[str] = None
def to_api_payload(self) -> dict:
return {"file": self.file_path, "language": self.language}
def mock_whisper_transcribe(payload: dict) -> dict:
…How to Mock subprocess Calls in Python with unittest.mock
A Python script that wraps Vagrant up/destroy commands using subprocess, with tests that mock the subprocess call to simulate outputs and errors.
import subprocess
from unittest.mock import patch, Mock
def run_vagrant(action: str) -> str:
result = subprocess.run(
["vagrant", action],
capture_output=True,
text=True,
check=False,
)
return result.stdout.strip()
def vagrant_wrapper(action: str) -> str:
if action n…How to Monitor Domain Expiration Dates in Python
A Python script that checks domain expiration dates using the python-whois library and warns when a domain is expiring soon.
import whois
from datetime import datetime, timedelta
import time
def check_domain_expiry(domain_name):
"""Check when a domain expires and warn if soon."""
try:
w = whois.whois(domain_name)
expiry = w.expiration_date
# Handle list or single date
if isinstance(expiry, list):
…How to Parse CLI Arguments in Python with argparse
Build a beginner-friendly CLI with argparse that accepts optional --name, --greeting, and --uppercase flags, then prints a customizable greeting.
import argparse
def main():
parser = argparse.ArgumentParser(description="Greet a user with optional customization.")
parser.add_argument("--name", default="world", help="Name to greet")
parser.add_argument("--greeting", default="Hello", help="Greeting word")
parser.add_argument("--uppercase", action=…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 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 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 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 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)Mock a Helm Upgrade Install Command in Python
Use unittest mock to simulate a Helm upgrade --install call for testing automation scripts without a real cluster.
from unittest.mock import MagicMock, patch
class HelmClient:
def upgrade_install(self, release, chart, namespace="default"):
# Simulates the helm upgrade --install command
return f"Release {release} upgraded/installed in {namespace} using chart {chart}"
@patch("helm_client.HelmClient.upgrade_in…Mock systemctl Wrapper in Python for Service Testing
A Python class-based mock of systemctl that simulates start, stop, restart, and status operations for a service, useful for testing automation scripts.
import subprocess
import sys
class ServiceManager:
def __init__(self, service_name):
self.service_name = service_name
self.status = "inactive"
def start(self):
self.status = "active"
print(f"Starting {self.service_name}... OK")
def stop(self):
self.status …Monitor Disk Usage and Alert in Python
A Python script that checks disk usage percentage against a threshold and returns an ALERT or OK message with free space details.
import shutil
import os
def check_disk_usage(path="/", threshold=85.0):
usage = shutil.disk_usage(path)
percent_used = (usage.used / usage.total) * 100
if percent_used > threshold:
return (f"ALERT: Disk usage at {percent_used:.1f}% on {path} "
f"(exceeds {threshold}% threshold…Parse nginx access log top IPs in Python
Reads an nginx access log line by line, extracts the client IP, and returns the most frequent IPs using a regex and Counter.
import re
from collections import Counter
def top_ips(log_file, n=10):
ip_pattern = re.compile(r'^(\S+)')
ip_counts = Counter()
with open(log_file, 'r') as f:
for line in f:
match = ip_pattern.match(line)
if match:
ip_counts[match.group(1)] += 1
return…Port Scan Localhost Common Ports in Python
Scan common localhost ports (HTTP, HTTPS, SSH, FTP, and more) with a fast socket-based Python script that prints an open/closed status table.
import socket
from datetime import datetime
COMMON_PORTS = {
80: "HTTP",
443: "HTTPS",
22: "SSH",
21: "FTP",
25: "SMTP",
3306: "MySQL",
5432: "PostgreSQL"
}
def scan_port(port):
sock = socket.socket(socket.AF_INET, socket.SOCK_STREAM)
sock.settimeout(0.1)
try:
resu…Rename Files in Folder with Numeric Prefix in Python
Renames all files in a folder by adding a sequential numeric prefix (e.g., 01_, 02_) to each filename using pathlib.
from pathlib import Path
def rename_with_numeric_prefix(folder_path):
folder = Path(folder_path)
for index, file_path in enumerate(folder.iterdir(), start=1):
if file_path.is_file():
new_name = f"{index:02d}_{file_path.name}"
new_path = file_path.with_name(new_name)
…Resize Disk Partitions in Python (Mock Script)
A mock disk partition resize script that uses dataclasses to model partitions, validate new sizes, and output the updated layout as JSON.
#!/usr/bin/env python3
"""Mock script to demonstrate disk partition resize logic."""
import json
from dataclasses import dataclass
from typing import Dict
@dataclass
class Partition:
name: str
size_gb: int
mount_point: str
def to_dict(self) -> Dict[str, object]:
return {
"name": …Browse by section
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