Reference library

Python Code Samples

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

24 matches
Strings & text easy

How to Compare Strings with casefold in Python

Compares two strings ignoring case differences using the casefold() method for proper Unicode normalization.

string comparison casefold unicode
Python
def compare_strings(str1: str, str2: str) -> bool:
    return str1.casefold() == str2.casefold()

if __name__ == "__main__":
    tests = [
        ("HELLO", "hello"),
        ("Straße", "STRASSE"),
        ("Python", "Python"),
        ("Mixed Case", "mixed case"),
    ]
    for s1, s2 in tests:
        print(f"{s1!r}…
13 0 Open
Strings & text easy

How to Compare Two Strings in Python

Compares two string values and returns a detailed report with equality, case-insensitive comparison, lengths, and uppercase versions.

string-comparison case-insensitive helper-function
Python
def compare_data(first_value, second_value):
    """Compare two string values and return a report."""
    if first_value == second_value:
        status = "MATCH"
    else:
        status = "DIFFER"
    return {
        "first_value": first_value,
        "second_value": second_value,
        "status": status,
       …
12 0 Open
Lists & loops easy

Compare Two Lists in Python: Common, Only in First, Only in Second

A beginner-friendly helper that loops over two lists and returns items common to both, items only in the first list, and items only in the second list.

lists comparison loops
Python
def compare_lists(list1, list2):
    common = []
    only_in_first = []
    only_in_second = []
    
    for item in list1:
        if item in list2:
            common.append(item)
        else:
            only_in_first.append(item)
    
    for item in list2:
        if item not in list1:
            only_in_second…
14 0 Open
Lists & loops easy

Find Maximum Value in a List of Numbers in Python

Iterate through a list with a for loop to manually find and return the maximum numeric value.

max list loop
Python
def find_max(numbers):
    """Return the maximum value in a list of numbers."""
    if not numbers:
        return None
    max_value = numbers[0]
    for num in numbers[1:]:
        if num > max_value:
            max_value = num
    return max_value

if __name__ == "__main__":
    sample_list = [3, 7, 2, 15, 9, 11]
…
15 0 Open
Lists & loops easy

Find Minimum Value in a List in Python

This code defines a function that finds and returns the minimum value in a list of numbers, handling empty lists gracefully by returning None.

minimum lists iteration
Python
def find_minimum(numbers):
    """
    Find and return the minimum value in a list of numbers.
    
    Args:
        numbers: List of numeric values
        
    Returns:
        The minimum value, or None if the list is empty
    """
    if not numbers:
        return None
    min_value = numbers[0]
    for num in n…
12 0 Open
Functions & basics easy

How to Use Default Parameters in Python Functions

A beginner-friendly Python function that uses default parameters to compare two numbers with equal, greater, or less operations.

functions default-parameters comparison
Python
def compare(a, b, operation="equal"):
    if operation == "equal":
        return a == b
    elif operation == "greater":
        return a > b
    elif operation == "less":
        return a < b
    else:
        return f"Unknown operation: {operation}"

if __name__ == "__main__":
    print(compare(5, 5))
    print(com…
13 0 Open
Files & data easy

Compare Two Folder Structures and Find Differences in Python

Walks two directories using os.walk, builds sets of relative paths, and prints items that exist in only one folder.

filesystem os.walk comparison
Python
import os

def compare_folders(path1, path2):
    """
    Compare the file/folder structure of two directories and print differences.
    """
    def get_structure(root):
        structure = set()
        for dirpath, dirnames, filenames in os.walk(root):
            rel_path = os.path.relpath(dirpath, root)
         …
61 0 Open
Files & data easy

How to Compare Directory Trees in Python

This code recursively scans two directory trees and reports files that exist in only one directory, as well as files present in both but with different content.

filesystem comparison pathlib
Python
from pathlib import Path

def compare_directories(path1, path2):
    dir1 = Path(path1)
    dir2 = Path(path2)

    if not dir1.is_dir() or not dir2.is_dir():
        raise ValueError("Both paths must be directories.")

    files1 = {p.relative_to(dir1) for p in dir1.rglob("*") if p.is_file()}
    files2 = {p.relative…
11 0 Open
Dictionaries & sets easy

Compare Two Dictionaries in Python

Compare two dictionaries by finding common keys, unique keys, and value differences using Python's set operations.

dictionary set operations comparison
Python
def compare_data(dict1, dict2):
    """Compare two dictionaries and summarize similarities/differences."""
    keys1 = set(dict1.keys())
    keys2 = set(dict2.keys())
    
    common_keys = keys1 & keys2
    only_in_first = keys1 - keys2
    only_in_second = keys2 - keys1
    
    print(f"Common keys ({len(common_keys…
17 0 Open
Dictionaries & sets easy

How to Diff Two Dicts in Python: Added, Removed, and Changed Keys

Compare two dictionaries and report added, removed, and changed keys using Python's set operations on dict keys.

dict diff set-operations
Python
def diff_dicts(old: dict, new: dict) -> dict:
    """Compare two dicts and report added, removed, and changed keys."""
    added = {k: new[k] for k in new.keys() - old.keys()}
    removed = {k: old[k] for k in old.keys() - new.keys()}

    common_keys = old.keys() & new.keys()
    changed = {k: (old[k], new[k]) for k …
15 0 Open
Dictionaries & sets easy

How to Find Keys with Matching Values in Two Dictionaries in Python

Find dictionary keys where both dictionaries have the exact same value by iterating over key-value pairs and comparing them.

dictionaries comparison data-matching
Python
def find_matching_values(dict1, dict2):
    """Return list of keys that have the same value in both dicts."""
    matches = []
    for key, value in dict1.items():
        if key in dict2 and dict2[key] == value:
            matches.append(key)
    return matches


if __name__ == "__main__":
    # Example usage
    di…
13 0 Open
Dictionaries & sets easy

How to Find Symmetric Difference Between Two Python Sets

Compute elements unique to each set and build a flag dictionary showing membership across two Python sets.

sets set-operations symmetric-difference
Python
def symmetric_difference_with_flags(set_a, set_b):
    """Return elements in either set but not both, grouped by which set they came from."""
    only_in_a = set_a - set_b
    only_in_b = set_b - set_a
    
    print(f"Only in A: {only_in_a}")
    print(f"Only in B: {only_in_b}")
    print(f"Symmetric difference: {onl…
13 0 Open
Dictionaries & sets easy

How to Sort Dictionary Keys Alphabetically in Python

This code returns a list of dictionary keys sorted alphabetically, using a case-insensitive comparison while preserving the original insertion order for keys that are equal.

sorting dictionary case-insensitive
Python
data = {
    "banana": 3,
    "apple": 1,
    "Cherry": 5,
    "date": 2,
    "apple": 4,
    "Fig": 6,
    "banana": 2,
}

def sort_dict_keys_alphabetically(d):
    """Return a list of keys sorted alphabetically (case-insensitive), stable for duplicates."""
    return sorted(d.keys(), key=lambda k: k.lower())

if __n…
11 0 Open
OOP & classes easy

How to Compare Dataclass Instances by Specific Fields in Python

Use @dataclass(order=True) with field(compare=False) to control which fields determine ordering and equality between instances.

dataclasses comparison sorting
Python
from dataclasses import dataclass, field
from typing import Any

@dataclass(order=True)
class Person:
    name: str = field(compare=False)
    age: int
    height_cm: float
    priority: int = field(compare=False, default=0)

    def __repr__(self):
        return f"Person(name={self.name!r}, age={self.age}, height={s…
14 0 Open
OOP & classes easy

How to Implement Rich Comparison Ordering in Python Classes

This code demonstrates how to implement rich comparison operators (like <, <=, >, >=, ==, !=) in a Python class by defining __lt__ and __eq__, enabling sorting and ordering of custom objects.

rich comparison sorting operators
Python
class Task:
    def __init__(self, priority, name):
        self.priority = priority
        self.name = name

    def __lt__(self, other):
        if not isinstance(other, Task):
            return NotImplemented
        return self.priority < other.priority

    def __eq__(self, other):
        if not isinstance(oth…
12 0 Open
OOP & classes easy

How to Use IntEnum Arithmetic for Priority Levels in Python

Demonstrates Python IntEnum arithmetic for priority levels, showing how enum members behave like integers in calculations and comparisons.

enum intenum priority
Python
from enum import IntEnum

class Priority(IntEnum):
    LOW = 1
    MEDIUM = 5
    HIGH = 10
    CRITICAL = 20

if __name__ == "__main__":
    current = Priority.MEDIUM
    boosted = current + 3
    lowered = current - 2
    doubled = current * 2

    print(f"Current: {current} ({current.value})")
    print(f"Boosted (…
13 0 Open
OOP & classes easy

Python object equality: id vs value comparison

Demonstrates the difference between default identity comparison and custom equality, with a value-based class implementing __eq__ and __hash__.

oop equality hash
Python
import copy


class IdOnly:
    def __init__(self, name):
        self.name = name


class ValueId:
    def __init__(self, name):
        self.name = name

    def __eq__(self, other):
        return isinstance(other, ValueId) and self.name == other.name

    def __hash__(self):
        return hash(self.name)

    def…
12 0 Open
Algorithms & data structures easy

How to Compare Two Lists Elementwise for Greater Flags in Python

Compare two equal-length lists element by element and return a list of booleans marking where list_a values are greater than list_b values.

lists comparison zip
Python
def compare_lists_greater(list_a, list_b):
    """
    Compare two lists elementwise and return a list of booleans
    indicating whether each element in list_a is greater than the
    corresponding element in list_b.
    """
    if len(list_a) != len(list_b):
        raise ValueError("Lists must have the same length"…
13 0 Open
Testing & modern typing easy

How to Compare Files and Show a Diff in Python

Compare two text files and print a unified diff using Python's difflib module to highlight differences.

diff files difflib
Python
import difflib
from pathlib import Path

def compare_files(expected_path: str, actual_path: str) -> str:
    """Compare two text files and return a unified diff."""
    expected = Path(expected_path).read_text()
    actual = Path(actual_path).read_text()

    diff = difflib.unified_diff(
        expected.splitlines(ke…
10 0 Open
ML engineering pipelines easy

Compare Model A vs Model B Metrics in Python

A script that simulates and compares metrics between two ML models, showing a formatted diff table for quick insight.

model comparison mock metrics
Python
import random


def compare_a_b(samples=5):
    """Mock comparison of model A vs model B predictions."""
    metrics = ["accuracy", "precision", "recall", "f1"]
    print(f"{'Metric':<12}{'Model A':>10}{'Model B':>10}{'Diff':>10}")
    print("-" * 42)

    random.seed(42)
    for metric in metrics:
        a = round(r…
13 0 Open
A/B testing & experimentation easy

Bonferroni Correction in Python

Applies the Bonferroni correction to a list of p-values to control the family-wise error rate when performing multiple comparisons.

statistics p-values multiple-comparisons
Python
import numpy as np

def bonferroni_correction(p_values, alpha=0.05):
    """Apply Bonferroni correction to a list of p-values."""
    n = len(p_values)
    corrected_alpha = alpha / n
    significant = [p < corrected_alpha for p in p_values]
    return corrected_alpha, significant

if __name__ == "__main__":
    # Moc…
15 0 Open
Database scaling & optimization easy

How to Count Star vs Estimate Matches in Python

Count how many times 'star' and 'estimate' annotations match their actual labels in a list of mock comparison results.

counting dictionary matching
Python
def count_star_vs_estimate(mock_scores):
    """
    Count the number of times 'star' wins and 'estimate' wins
    from a list of mock comparison results.

    Args:
        mock_scores: list of tuples, each (annotation, actual)
                     where annotation is 'star' or 'estimate'

    Returns:
        dict w…
12 0 Open
Auth & security at scale easy

How to Hash and Verify Passwords in Python

Hash passwords securely with PBKDF2-SHA256 and verify them using a constant-time comparison.

password-hashing security pbkdf2
Python
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…
14 0 Open
Auth & security at scale easy

How to Salt Passwords per User in Python

Hash each user's password with a unique random salt using hashlib, and verify logins with timing-safe comparison.

password-hashing security authentication
Python
import hashlib
import secrets

def hash_password(password: str, salt: str | None = None) -> tuple[str, str]:
    """Hash a password with a random salt (or provided salt).

    Returns:
        (salt_hex, password_hash_hex)
    """
    if salt is None:
        salt = secrets.token_hex(16)
    salted = (salt + password)…
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.