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Python Code Samples

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

30 matches
Lists & loops easy

Symmetric difference between two lists in Python

Find elements present in exactly one of two lists, preserving original order, with a simple Python function.

lists sets symmetric-difference
Python
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…
14 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
Algorithms & data structures easy

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.

geometric-progression sequence algorithms
Python
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…
13 0 Open
AI & LLM integration patterns easy

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.

exact-match metric evaluation
Python
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…
12 0 Open
Data pipelines & processing easy

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.

counter metrics data-pipeline
Python
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…
15 0 Open
Cloud + Python easy

Mock CloudWatch put_metric_data in Python

Simulate AWS CloudWatch put_metric_data with validation and formatted output for local testing without AWS.

cloudwatch aws mock
Python
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 …
15 0 Open
System design patterns easy

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.

decorators unittest.mock metrics
Python
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…
15 0 Open
System design patterns easy

Observer Pattern with Mock Metrics in Python

Implement the Observer pattern with a mock metrics collector to track state changes and verify notifications.

observer mock design pattern
Python
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
      …
12 0 Open
Observability & SRE easy

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.

mock metrics monitoring
Python
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…
15 0 Open
Observability & SRE easy

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.

prometheus metrics observability
Python
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)},
         …
13 0 Open
Observability & SRE easy

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.

observability metrics time-series
Python
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…
14 0 Open
Observability & SRE easy

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.

sre synthetic-data metrics
Python
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…
14 0 Open
Observability & SRE easy

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.

metrics counter observability
Python
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("…
13 0 Open
Observability & SRE easy

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.

observability sre metrics
Python
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…
14 0 Open
Observability & SRE easy

How to Flush Metrics on Graceful Shutdown in Python

Register an atexit handler to automatically flush collected metrics when a Python process exits gracefully.

atexit metrics graceful-shutdown
Python
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…
14 0 Open
Observability & SRE easy

How to Mock Database Query Duration in Python

Simulate realistic database query durations with random jitter for testing dashboards, alerts, and SLO calculations.

observability mock metrics
Python
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…
14 0 Open
Observability & SRE easy

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.

metrics rss cpu
Python
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
      …
12 0 Open
Observability & SRE easy

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.

prometheus alerting sre
Python
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…
14 0 Open
Observability & SRE easy

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.

unittest mocking metrics
Python
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…
13 0 Open
Observability & SRE easy

Python Observability Data Helper for Beginners

A beginner-friendly Python helper to log events, record metrics, summarize observability data, and export it as JSON.

observability logging metrics
Python
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):
…
14 0 Open
Observability & SRE easy

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.

sre metrics latency
Python
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):
   …
14 0 Open
Microservices patterns easy

Mock a Sidecar Logger with Python Metrics

Simulate a sidecar logger that tracks request counts, error rates, and endpoint hits, producing a metrics snapshot.

microservices monitoring metrics
Python
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…
16 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…
14 0 Open
ML engineering pipelines easy

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.

confusion-matrix classification ml-metrics
Python
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…
14 0 Open

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Guide: free Python code samples library

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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.