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Python Code Samples

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

221 matches
Automation & scripting easy

Mock Certbot Renewal in Python for Testing

Simulates a Let's Encrypt certificate renewal by writing a mock certificate file and printing realistic certbot CLI output, without calling the actual certbot.

certbot letsencrypt automation
Python
import subprocess
import sys
from datetime import datetime, timedelta
from pathlib import Path


def renew_cert(domain: str, output_dir: str = "certs") -> str:
    """Simulate a Let's Encrypt renewal with mock certbot output."""
    out = Path(output_dir)
    out.mkdir(parents=True, exist_ok=True)

    cert_path = out…
17 0 Open
Automation & scripting easy

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.

file-renaming pathlib automation
Python
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)
           …
13 0 Open
Automation & scripting easy

Restore sqlite from latest backup file in Python

This script finds the most recently modified backup file in a directory and restores it to the main database path, then verifies the restored data.

sqlite backup file-io
Python
import sqlite3
import glob
import os
import shutil

def restore_latest_backup(db_path, backup_dir):
    backups = sorted(glob.glob(os.path.join(backup_dir, "*.db")), key=os.path.getmtime)
    if not backups:
        raise FileNotFoundError("No backup files found")
    latest = backups[-1]
    shutil.copy2(latest, db_p…
15 0 Open
Automation & scripting easy

Restrict Secrets File Permissions with the chmod Script in Python

This script restricts a secrets file to 0600 permissions, rotates it to a dated backup, and creates a fresh protected file for secure automation workflows.

chmod permissions secrets
Python
import os
import sys
import stat
from pathlib import Path

def restrict_secrets_file(filepath: str) -> None:
    """Set restrictive permissions (0600) on a secrets file."""
    path = Path(filepath).expanduser()
    
    if not path.is_file():
        raise FileNotFoundError(f"Secrets file not found: {path}")
    
   …
14 0 Open
Automation & scripting easy

Rotate API keys in Python by updating an .env template

Replace an old API key with a new one inside an .env template file, with a guard for missing keys.

api-keys env-files automation
Python
import json
from pathlib import Path

def rotate_api_keys(env_template_path: Path, old_key: str, new_key: str) -> None:
    """Replace an old API key with a new one in an .env template file."""
    content = env_template_path.read_text()
    if old_key not in content:
        print(f"Error: '{old_key}' not found in {e…
13 0 Open
Data pipelines & processing easy

Add a UUID Surrogate Key to Each Row in a CSV with Python

Generate a unique UUID string for every row in a CSV file using the standard-library uuid and csv modules.

csv uuid surrogate-key
Python
import uuid
import csv

def add_surrogate_key(filename):
    with open(filename, newline='') as f_in:
        reader = csv.DictReader(f_in)
        rows = list(reader)

    for row in rows:
        row['surrogate_key'] = str(uuid.uuid4())

    with open(filename, 'w', newline='') as f_out:
        writer = csv.DictWri…
19 0 Open
Data pipelines & processing easy

Attach Source File Metadata to Records in Python

Add a source filename field to each record in a list by merging a new key into every dictionary using a dict unpacking comprehension.

lineage metadata dict-unpacking
Python
from pathlib import Path
import json

def attach_source_metadata(records, source_file):
    """Attach source filename metadata to each record."""
    return [
        {**record, "source": Path(source_file).name}
        for record in records
    ]

if __name__ == "__main__":
    source = "/data/raw/customers.csv"
    …
20 0 Open
Data pipelines & processing easy

Create Data Helper Functions in Python for Beginners

Build reusable Python helper functions to load, filter, sort, summarize, and save JSON data — a beginner-friendly starting point for small data pipelines.

json pipeline helpers
Python
import json
from pathlib import Path
from typing import Any, Dict, List


def load_json_file(filepath: str) -> Dict[str, Any]:
    """Load JSON data from a file."""
    with Path(filepath).open("r", encoding="utf-8") as file:
        return json.load(file)


def filter_by_key(
    data: List[Dict[str, Any]], key: str,…
17 0 Open
Data pipelines & processing easy

ETL in Python: Extract CSV, Transform Dict, Load JSON

Build a simple ETL pipeline in Python that reads a CSV file, transforms each row (stripping whitespace and converting numeric fields), and writes the result to JSON.

etl csv json
Python
import csv
import json
from pathlib import Path

def extract_csv(file_path):
    """Read CSV file and return list of row dictionaries."""
    with Path(file_path).open('r', newline='', encoding='utf-8') as f:
        reader = csv.DictReader(f)
        return list(reader)

def transform_dicts(rows):
    """Transform ro…
15 0 Open
Data pipelines & processing easy

Generate a Deterministic Hash for Deduplication in Python

Create a stable SHA-256 fingerprint from nested data and file contents to deduplicate records in a data pipeline.

hashing deduplication sha256
Python
import hashlib
import json
from pathlib import Path

def natural_key_hash(data, salt=""):
    """
    Generate a deterministic fingerprint from raw data (dict/list/str).
    Uses JSON canonical-ish serialization with sorted keys and SHA-256.
    """
    canonical = json.dumps(data, sort_keys=True, separators=(",", ":"…
16 0 Open
Data pipelines & processing easy

How to Build Data Processing Functions in Python

Create reusable helper functions to load, filter, transform, and aggregate CSV data in Python.

csv pipeline etl
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…
13 0 Open
Data pipelines & processing easy

How to Compress Pipeline Output Gzip Per Partition in Python

Compress each partition of pipeline output into a separate gzip file and verify the compressed data by reading it back.

gzip compression pipeline
Python
import gzip
import io
import random
from pathlib import Path


def compress_partition(partition_data: list[str], output_path: Path) -> int:
    """Compress a partition of data to a gzip file, returns bytes written."""
    with gzip.open(output_path, 'wt', encoding='utf-8') as f:
        f.writelines(partition_data)
  …
14 0 Open
Data pipelines & processing easy

How to Count JSON Records in Python

Read a JSON file and count the number of top-level records, handling both list and dictionary structures.

json counting file-reading
Python
import json
from pathlib import Path

def count_records(json_file):
    """Count top-level records in a JSON file."""
    with open(json_file, "r") as f:
        data = json.load(f)
    
    # Handle both list of records and dict of records
    if isinstance(data, list):
        return len(data)
    elif isinstance(da…
13 0 Open
Data pipelines & processing easy

How to Partition Output Files by Date Key in Python

Group output files into a dictionary partitioned by a YYYYMMDD date key extracted from the filename prefix.

file-partitioning date-key pathlib
Python
from pathlib import Path
from collections import defaultdict

def partition_files_by_date(directory: str) -> dict:
    """Partition output files by date key extracted from filename (YYYYMMDD prefix)."""
    path = Path(directory)
    partitions = defaultdict(list)
    
    for file in path.iterdir():
        if file.i…
15 0 Open
Data pipelines & processing easy

How to Process CSV Data in Python with a Data Helper

Build a beginner-friendly data helper in Python that loads a CSV file, filters rows by a condition, and summarizes numeric fields.

csv data-processing pathlib
Python
import csv
from pathlib import Path

DATA = [
    {"name": "Alice", "score": 88, "passed": True},
    {"name": "Bob", "score": 42, "passed": False},
    {"name": "Carol", "score": 95, "passed": True},
]


def load_csv(file_path: Path) -> list[dict]:
    with file_path.open(newline="", encoding="utf-8") as f:
        r…
14 0 Open
Data pipelines & processing easy

How to create a dated snapshot path for a dataset in Python

Generate a versioned directory path combining a base directory, dataset name, and today's date, ready for creating snapshots in data pipelines.

date pathlib datasets
Python
import datetime
import os
from pathlib import Path


def snapshot_path(base_dir: str, dataset_name: str) -> Path:
    """Return a dated snapshot path for a dataset under a base directory."""
    today = datetime.date.today().isoformat()
    return Path(base_dir) / dataset_name / today


if __name__ == "__main__":
    …
16 0 Open
Data pipelines & processing easy

Trigger a Pipeline When a New File Appears in a Directory

Poll a directory every 0.5 seconds and return the name of the first new file that appears, or None after a timeout.

polling filesystem file-watcher
Python
import time
from pathlib import Path


def watch_for_file(directory: str, interval: float = 0.5, timeout: float = 10.0) -> str | None:
    """Poll a directory and trigger when a new file appears."""
    watch_dir = Path(directory)
    watch_dir.mkdir(exist_ok=True)
    
    known_files = set(watch_dir.iterdir())
    s…
13 0 Open
Git + Python easy

Detect Merge Conflict Markers in a File with Python

Scan a file line by line to detect Git merge conflict markers (<<<<<<<, =======, >>>>>>>) and report their line numbers with context.

git merge-conflict file-scanning
Python
from pathlib import Path

def detect_merge_conflicts(file_path):
    conflicts = []
    with open(file_path, 'r') as f:
        lines = f.readlines()
    
    for i, line in enumerate(lines, 1):
        if line.startswith('<<<<<<<'):
            conflict_marker = 'conflict start'
            conflicts.append((i, confl…
16 0 Open
Git + Python easy

How to Filter Git History to Remove Secret File Entries in Python

A pure-Python mock that filters a repository's history to drop any commit that touched a secret file, so you can plan a cleanup before rewriting Git history.

git secrets history
Python
from pathlib import Path
import json

def filter_history(history, secret_path):
    """Remove entries that touch the secret file."""
    return [entry for entry in history if secret_path not in entry["files"]]

if __name__ == "__main__":
    repo_history = [
        {"commit": "a1b2c3", "message": "Add app", "files": …
12 0 Open
Git + Python easy

How to Generate Git LFS Extension Patterns in Python

This script builds mock Git LFS file patterns for common geospatial extensions and filters them based on compression suffixes.

git lfs geospatial
Python
import itertools
import re

LFS_EXTENSIONS = {".csv", ".geojson", ".tif", ".shp", ".gpkg"}

def build_mock_lfs_pattern(base_name="data_usgs_lidar"):
    patterns = []
    for ext in sorted(LFS_EXTENSIONS):
        for variant in (("", ".lz4"), (".compressed",), (".b", ".a"), ("_v1", ".zip")):
            full_pattern …
14 0 Open
Git + Python easy

How to List Changed Files in the Last Git Commit with Python

Runs `git diff --name-only HEAD~1 HEAD` via subprocess to list the names of files changed in the most recent commit.

git subprocess automation
Python
import subprocess

def list_changed_files():
    result = subprocess.run(
        ["git", "diff", "--name-only", "HEAD~1", "HEAD"],
        capture_output=True,
        text=True,
        check=True
    )
    files = result.stdout.strip().splitlines()
    return files

if __name__ == "__main__":
    changed = list_cha…
15 0 Open
Git + Python easy

How to Mock Git Clean Dry Run in Python

Simulate the output of `git clean -n` in Python to preview which untracked files would be removed without actually deleting them.

git clean dry-run
Python
import subprocess
import sys

def mock_git_clean_dry_run(untracked_files):
    """Simulate `git clean -n` for a given list of untracked files."""
    if not untracked_files:
        print("No untracked files to remove.")
        return

    print("Would remove:")
    for file in untracked_files:
        print(f"  {fil…
15 0 Open
Git + Python easy

How to Mock Git Worktree Creation in Python

Create a mock Git worktree setup with parallel branch directories and state files for testing or simulation.

git worktree mock
Python
import os
import tempfile
from pathlib import Path

def create_mock_worktree(base_dir: Path, branches: list[str]) -> dict[str, Path]:
    """
    Mock Git worktree creation: creates parallel directories for each branch
    under the base directory, simulating independent worktrees.
    """
    worktrees = {}
    for b…
15 0 Open
Git + Python easy

How to Mock git sparse-checkout Paths in Python

Simulates git sparse-checkout configuration by writing desired paths to the sparse-checkout file without running git commands.

git sparse-checkout mocking
Python
import subprocess
from pathlib import Path
import tempfile


def configure_sparse_checkout(repo_dir: Path, paths: list[str]) -> list[str]:
    """Simulate sparse checkout configuration by returning the paths that would be set."""
    sparse_checkout_file = repo_dir / ".git" / "info" / "sparse-checkout"
    sparse_chec…
11 0 Open

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  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

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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.