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Symmetric difference between two lists in Python
Find elements present in exactly one of two lists, preserving original order, with a simple Python function.
def symmetric_difference(list1, list2):
"""
Return the symmetric difference of two lists.
Elements present in exactly one of the lists, preserving order.
"""
set1 = set(list1)
set2 = set(list2)
# Elements in list1 but not in list2
diff1 = [x for x in list1 if x not in set2]
# E…
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.
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…
How to Generate a Geometric Progression List in Python
This Python function builds a list of n terms in a geometric progression, starting with a given first term and multiplying by a constant ratio at each step.
def geometric_progression(first_term, ratio, count):
"""
Generate a list of 'count' terms in a geometric progression
starting with 'first_term' and multiplied by 'ratio' each step.
"""
progression = []
current = first_term
for _ in range(count):
progression.append(current)
c…
How to compute exact match metric in Python
Computes the exact match (EM) metric for LLM outputs by normalizing text and comparing predictions against references.
def compute_exact_match(predictions, references):
def normalize(text):
import re
text = text.lower().strip()
text = re.sub(r'\b(a|an|the)\b', ' ', text)
text = re.sub(r'[^a-z0-9\s]', '', text)
text = ' '.join(text.split())
return text
matches = sum(1 for pred, r…
Count Records Processed per Category in Python
Use a Counter dictionary to track how many records of each type (ok, error, retry) were processed in a data pipeline.
from collections import Counter
import random
processed_counter = Counter()
def process_records(records):
for record in records:
processed_counter[record] += 1
return len(records)
if __name__ == "__main__":
sample_records = [random.choice(["ok", "error", "retry"]) for _ in range(10)]
print(f…
Mock CloudWatch put_metric_data in Python
Simulate AWS CloudWatch put_metric_data with validation and formatted output for local testing without AWS.
import json
from datetime import datetime, timezone
def put_metric_data(namespace, metric_data_list):
"""
Mock AWS CloudWatch put_metric_data.
Validates and prints the metrics that would be sent.
"""
timestamp = datetime.now(timezone.utc).isoformat()
print(f"[MockCloudWatch] Received request …
How to Mock a Metrics Decorator in Python with unittest.mock
This code demonstrates a timing decorator that wraps a function to measure execution time and prints the duration, with a unit test using unittest.mock to patch the print function and assert it was called.
import time
from functools import wraps
from unittest.mock import patch
def add_metrics(func):
@wraps(func)
def wrapper(*args, **kwargs):
start = time.perf_counter()
result = func(*args, **kwargs)
elapsed = time.perf_counter() - start
print(f"{func.__name__} took {elapsed:.6f}s…
Observer Pattern with Mock Metrics in Python
Implement the Observer pattern with a mock metrics collector to track state changes and verify notifications.
import unittest
from unittest.mock import Mock
class Subject:
def __init__(self):
self._state = 0
self._observers = []
def attach(self, observer):
self._observers.append(observer)
def set_state(self, value):
if value != self._state:
self._state = value
…
Generate Mock CPU and Memory Metrics in Python
Build a mock_host_metrics() generator that outputs realistic CPU and memory usage percentages for monitoring demos and tests.
import time
import random
def mock_host_metrics():
"""Generate mock CPU and memory metrics for a host."""
cpu_percent = round(random.uniform(10.0, 95.0), 1)
memory_percent = round(random.uniform(20.0, 90.0), 1)
memory_used_mb = round(random.uniform(512, 8192), 1)
return {
"timestamp": in…
Generate Prometheus Text Exposition Format in Python
Mock a Prometheus metrics endpoint by formatting metrics into the text exposition format with HELP, TYPE, and sample lines.
import time
from random import randint
# Mock a Prometheus metrics endpoint output
metrics = {
"http_requests_total": {
"help": "Total number of HTTP requests",
"type": "counter",
"samples": [
{"labels": {"method": "get", "code": "200"}, "value": randint(1000, 9999)},
…
Generate Synthetic CPU Utilization Metrics in Python
Creates realistic time-series CPU utilization samples with timestamps, noise, and output as structured JSON for observability demos and testing.
from datetime import datetime, timedelta
import random
import json
def generate_metric_samples(base_value, noise, count=60, interval_minutes=1):
"""Generate realistic CPU utilization samples for a given time window."""
timestamps = []
values = []
now = datetime.utcnow()
start_time = now - timede…
Generate Synthetic SRE Metrics and Calculate Availability in Python
Create realistic service metrics with random latency, error rate, and request counts, then compute availability and summarize the stream for SLO checks.
from datetime import datetime, timedelta
import random
def generate_service_metrics(service_name: str, minutes: int = 30) -> list[dict]:
"""Generate synthetic SRE metrics for a service across recent minutes."""
metrics = []
now = datetime.now()
for i in range(minutes):
timestamp = now - t…
How to Build a Metrics Counter with Increment and Snapshot in Python
A simple dict-backed MetricsCounter class that increments named counters and returns a snapshot of the current values.
class MetricsCounter:
def __init__(self):
self._metrics = {}
def increment(self, key, delta=1):
self._metrics[key] = self._metrics.get(key, 0) + delta
def snapshot(self):
return dict(self._metrics)
if __name__ == "__main__":
counter = MetricsCounter()
counter.increment("…
How to Compute SRE Metrics Like Error Rate and Availability in Python
Tracks log events in a sliding time window and calculates error rate per second and availability percentage using an easy-to-follow class.
from collections import deque
from datetime import datetime, timedelta
from typing import Dict, Deque
class LogMetrics:
"""Simple observability helper to track log events and calculate SRE metrics."""
def __init__(self, window_seconds: int = 60):
self.window_seconds = window_seconds
self.eve…
How to Flush Metrics on Graceful Shutdown in Python
Register an atexit handler to automatically flush collected metrics when a Python process exits gracefully.
import atexit
import time
import random
class MetricsCollector:
def __init__(self):
self._metrics = []
atexit.register(self.flush)
def record(self, name, value):
self._metrics.append((name, value, time.time()))
def flush(self):
print(f"Flushing {len(self._metrics)} metri…
How to Mock Database Query Duration in Python
Simulate realistic database query durations with random jitter for testing dashboards, alerts, and SLO calculations.
import random
import time
def mock_query_duration(db_name, avg_ms, jitter_ms=5, runs=3):
"""Simulate database query durations with realistic variation."""
durations = []
for _ in range(runs):
# Base duration plus random jitter (can be negative)
duration = avg_ms + random.uniform(-jitter_m…
How to Process System Metrics (RSS, CPU) in Python
Simulate and aggregate RSS and CPU system metrics to compute averages and maximums for monitoring dashboards.
import random
import time
from collections import namedtuple
Metric = namedtuple("Metric", ["name", "value", "unit"])
def generate_metrics(num_metrics: int = 5) -> list:
"""Simulate a batch of system metrics."""
metrics = []
for i in range(num_metrics):
rss = random.randint(50, 500) # MB
…
How to mock Prometheus alert rule thresholds in Python
Simulate a Prometheus alert rule with a configurable threshold and duration window, firing only when the metric exceeds the threshold long enough.
import time
import random
class MetricsStore:
def __init__(self):
self.metrics = {}
def set_metric(self, name, value, labels=None):
key = (name, tuple(sorted((labels or {}).items())))
self.metrics[key] = value
def get_metric(self, name, labels=None):
key = (name, tuple(s…
Mocking a Metrics Gauge's set_value Method in Python
Demonstrates using unittest.mock.Mock with wraps to intercept a gauge's set_value call while verifying arguments and preserving real behavior.
from unittest.mock import Mock
class MetricsGauge:
def __init__(self, name):
self.name = name
self.value = 0.0
def set_value(self, new_value):
self.value = float(new_value)
return self.value
# Usage demonstration with a mock
gauge = MetricsGauge("cpu_usage")
gauge_mock = Mock…
Python Observability Data Helper for Beginners
A beginner-friendly Python helper to log events, record metrics, summarize observability data, and export it as JSON.
import json
from datetime import datetime
from collections import defaultdict
class ObservabilityDataHelper:
"""Helper for exploring basic observability data patterns."""
def __init__(self):
self.events = []
self.metrics = defaultdict(list)
def log_event(self, service, level, message):
…
Track Success Rates and Latency in Python: SRE Metrics Helper
A beginner-friendly Python class to record request outcomes and latencies, then report success rate, average latency, and p99.
import random
import time
from collections import defaultdict
class MetricsTracker:
"""Simple helper to track success rates and latencies for SRE beginners."""
def __init__(self):
self.successes = 0
self.failures = 0
self.latencies = []
def record(self, success, latency_ms):
…
Mock a Sidecar Logger with Python Metrics
Simulate a sidecar logger that tracks request counts, error rates, and endpoint hits, producing a metrics snapshot.
import random
import time
from collections import defaultdict
class SidecarLogger:
def __init__(self):
self.metrics = defaultdict(int)
self.total_requests = 0
self.error_count = 0
def log_request(self, endpoint, status_code):
"""Simulate logging a request and updating metrics…
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.
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…
How to Compute a Confusion Matrix in Python
Compute a multi-class confusion matrix from true and predicted labels using pure Python dictionaries and nested lists, then format it for readable output.
from collections import defaultdict
def compute_confusion_matrix(y_true, y_pred, labels):
"""Compute confusion matrix using Python dicts and nested lists."""
label_index = {label: i for i, label in enumerate(labels)}
matrix = [[0] * len(labels) for _ in range(len(labels))]
for true, pred in zip(y…
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