Reference library

Python Code Samples

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

99 matches
Errors & debugging medium

How to Re-raise Exceptions with 'raise from' in Python

Shows how to re-raise an exception with explicit context chaining using the 'raise ... from ...' syntax, so the original cause is preserved for debugging.

exceptions raise-from error-handling
Python
def divide_with_chain(a, b):
    try:
        result = a / b
        return result
    except ZeroDivisionError as original_error:
        # Re-raise with explicit chaining context
        raise ValueError("Cannot divide by zero") from original_error

def explain_chain():
    try:
        divide_with_chain(10, 0)
    …
12 0 Open
Errors & debugging medium

How to Simulate Timeout with Custom TimeoutError in Python

Run a function in a daemon thread and raise a custom TimeoutError if it exceeds a specified time limit.

timeout threading exceptions
Python
import time
from typing import Callable, TypeVar

T = TypeVar("T")


class TimeoutError(Exception):
    """Raised when an operation exceeds its time limit."""

    def __init__(self, message: str = "Operation timed out"):
        self.message = message
        super().__init__(self.message)


def run_with_timeout(func…
12 0 Open
Errors & debugging medium

Implement circuit breaker open after failures demo in Python

A minimal CircuitBreaker class that calls a function and automatically 'opens' after a set number of consecutive failures, blocking further calls with a RuntimeError.

circuit-breaker resilience error-handling
Python
import time
from datetime import datetime


class CircuitBreaker:
    def __init__(self, threshold=3):
        self.threshold = threshold
        self.failure_count = 0
        self.is_open = False

    def call(self, func, *args, **kwargs):
        if self.is_open:
            raise RuntimeError("Circuit is OPEN")
  …
13 0 Open
Files & data medium

Convert Image to ASCII Art in Python

Convert any image to ASCII art by resizing, converting to grayscale, and mapping pixel brightness to characters using Pillow.

image ascii-art pillow
Python
from PIL import Image
import sys

ASCII_CHARS = "@%#*+=-:. "

def resize_image(image, new_width=100):
    """Resize image maintaining aspect ratio."""
    width, height = image.size
    ratio = height / width
    new_height = int(new_width * ratio * 0.55)  # 0.55 adjusts for font aspect ratio
    return image.resize((…
51 0 Open
Files & data medium

How to Load Pickle Files Safely in Python

This code demonstrates how to load pickle files safely in Python by using a restricted unpickler that only allows specific, trusted classes, preventing arbitrary code execution from untrusted pickles.

pickle security serialization
Python
import pickle

# Default pickle.load is unsafe: it executes arbitrary code when unpickling.
class Unsafe:
    def __reduce__(self):
        return (eval, ("open('/tmp/pickle_demo.txt', 'w').write('pwned')",))

# Create a malicious payload (simulating untrusted source)
malicious_data = pickle.dumps(Unsafe())

# Safe ap…
14 0 Open
Files & data medium

How to Memory Map Large Files Read-Only in Python

This code demonstrates reading only the tail of a large file using a read-only memory map (mmap) to avoid loading the entire file into memory.

mmap file-io memory-efficient
Python
import mmap
import os

def read_tail_with_mmap(filepath, bytes_from_end=64):
    """Read the last bytes of a large file using a read-only mmap."""
    file_size = os.path.getsize(filepath)
    start = max(0, file_size - bytes_from_end)

    with open(filepath, "rb") as f:
        with mmap.mmap(f.fileno(), length=0, a…
12 0 Open
Files & data medium

How to Merge Sorted Chunk Files in Python

Merge multiple sorted text files into one sorted output file using a heap for efficient k-way merging.

heapq merge-sort external-sort
Python
import heapq


def merge_sorted_chunks(chunks, output_path):
    """Merge multiple sorted iterables into single sorted output file."""
    with open(output_path, "w") as out_f:
        # Open all chunk files
        handles = [open(chunk, "r") for chunk in chunks]
        try:
            # Heap of (value, index) tupl…
14 0 Open
Files & data medium

How to Stream Large CSV Files in Python

Process a large CSV file in memory-efficient chunks using Python's csv module, yielding batches of rows instead of loading everything at once.

csv streaming memory-efficient
Python
import csv
from pathlib import Path

def process_csv_in_chunks(file_path, chunk_size=1000):
    """Yield rows from a large CSV file in chunks without loading all into memory."""
    with open(file_path, 'r', newline='') as f:
        reader = csv.DictReader(f)
        chunk = []
        for row in reader:
            …
12 0 Open
Dictionaries & sets medium

LRU Cache with OrderedDict in Python

Implement an LRU cache using collections.OrderedDict to track insertion order and evict the least-recently-used item when capacity is exceeded.

lru-cache ordereddict caching
Python
from collections import OrderedDict

class LRUCache:
    def __init__(self, capacity):
        self.capacity = capacity
        self.cache = OrderedDict()

    def get(self, key):
        if key not in self.cache:
            return -1
        self.cache.move_to_end(key)
        return self.cache[key]

    def put(sel…
14 0 Open
OOP & classes medium

How to Create a Data Splitter Class in Python

This code defines a DataSplitter class that splits data by index, into chunks, or by a predicate, demonstrating OOP principles in Python.

class data-splitting slicing
Python
class DataSplitter:
    def __init__(self, data):
        self.data = list(data)
    
    def split_by_index(self, index):
        return self.data[:index], self.data[index:]
    
    def split_into_chunks(self, chunk_size):
        return [self.data[i:i + chunk_size] for i in range(0, len(self.data), chunk_size)]
   …
14 0 Open
OOP & classes medium

How to Use __slots__ in Python Classes for Memory Efficiency

Defines classes with __slots__ to prevent dynamic attribute creation and reduce memory usage, including inheritance with additional slots.

slots oop memory
Python
```python
class Person:
    __slots__ = ("name", "age")

    def __init__(self, name: str, age: int):
        self.name = name
        self.age = age

    def greet(self) -> str:
        return f"Hi, I'm {self.name} and I'm {self.age} years old."


class Employee(Person):
    __slots__ = ("role",)

    def __init__(se…
13 0 Open
OOP & classes medium

Python Abstract Class with Concrete Subclasses

Define an abstract base class with abstract methods and implement them in concrete subclasses like Rectangle and Circle.

abc abstract-methods oop
Python
from abc import ABC, abstractmethod

class Shape(ABC):
    @abstractmethod
    def area(self):
        pass

    @abstractmethod
    def perimeter(self):
        pass

class Rectangle(Shape):
    def __init__(self, width, height):
        self.width = width
        self.height = height

    def area(self):
        ret…
14 0 Open
OOP & classes medium

Template Method Pattern in Python: Define Base Class with Algorithm Steps

Create a template method base class using ABC that defines the skeleton of an algorithm while letting subclasses implement specific steps.

template-method abstract-class design-pattern
Python
from abc import ABC, abstractmethod


class DataProcessor(ABC):
    """Template method that defines the skeleton of an algorithm."""
    
    def process(self):
        """Template method - defines the sequence of steps."""
        self.load_data()
        self.clean_data()
        self.transform_data()
        self.s…
12 0 Open
Algorithms & data structures medium

Binary Search for Ship Capacity in Python

Use binary search to find the minimum ship capacity that can transport all packages within a given number of days.

binary search greedy capacity
Python
def ship_within_days(weights, days):
    def can_ship(capacity):
        current = 0
        needed_days = 1
        for weight in weights:
            if current + weight > capacity:
                needed_days += 1
                current = 0
            current += weight
        return needed_days <= days

    low …
13 0 Open
Algorithms & data structures medium

Container With Most Water: Two-Pointer Solution in Python

Find the maximum water a container can hold from a list of heights using an efficient two-pointer technique in O(n) time.

two-pointer array algorithm
Python
from typing import List

def max_water_container(heights: List[int]) -> int:
    left, right = 0, len(heights) - 1
    max_area = 0
    
    while left < right:
        width = right - left
        height = min(heights[left], heights[right])
        area = width * height
        max_area = max(max_area, area)
        …
16 0 Open
Algorithms & data structures medium

How to Find the n Smallest Items in a Large List with heapq in Python

This code demonstrates how to efficiently extract the n smallest items from a large list using Python's heapq module and a manual max-heap approach.

heapq heaps large data
Python
import heapq

def n_smallest_iterable(data, n):
    """Return the n smallest items without loading the whole list."""
    if n <= 0:
        return []
    return heapq.nsmallest(n, data)

def n_smallest_manual(data, n):
    """Return the n smallest using a heap, O(n log k) time."""
    if n <= 0:
        return []
   …
13 0 Open
Algorithms & data structures medium

How to Generate a Power Set in Python with Bitmasks

Generate the power set of a small list using a bitmask approach, producing all possible subsets.

bitmask power set subset generation
Python
def power_set(items):
    """Generate the power set of a list using bitmask approach."""
    n = len(items)
    result = []
    
    for mask in range(1 << n):
        subset = []
        for i in range(n):
            if mask & (1 << i):
                subset.append(items[i])
        result.append(subset)
    
    r…
14 0 Open
AI & LLM integration patterns medium

Circuit Breaker Pattern in Python for LLM API Calls

Implements a circuit breaker class that wraps LLM client calls to fail fast when the service is degrading, then recover automatically after a timeout.

circuit-breaker llm resilience
Python
import time

class CircuitBreaker:
    def __init__(self, failure_threshold=3, recovery_timeout=5):
        self.failure_threshold = failure_threshold
        self.recovery_timeout = recovery_timeout
        self.failure_count = 0
        self.state = "closed"
        self.last_failure_time = None

    def call(self, …
15 0 Open
AI & LLM integration patterns medium

How to Repair Malformed JSON Braces Heuristically in Python

Heuristically fix malformed JSON by balancing braces and quotes, using a stack-based approach to add missing closing characters.

json repair heuristic
Python
import json
import re

def repair_json(text: str) -> str:
    """Heuristically repair malformed JSON by balancing braces and quotes."""
    # Trim whitespace and handle leading/trailing garbage
    text = text.strip()
    
    # Remove common non-JSON decorations
    text = re.sub(r'^(
13 0 Open
Automation & scripting medium

Detect Circular Imports Across Python Projects Automatically

This script walks through all .py files in a directory, builds an import graph, and uses depth-first search to find cycles—printing each circular dependency chain.

circular-imports import-graph ast
Python
import ast
import sys
from pathlib import Path
from collections import defaultdict, deque

def find_imports(filepath):
    """Return set of module names imported by a Python file."""
    imports = set()
    try:
        with open(filepath) as f:
            tree = ast.parse(f.read())
    except (SyntaxError, UnicodeDe…
39 0 Open
Automation & scripting medium

Detect and Remove Blurry Images in Python with OpenCV

Automatically scan a directory of images, detect blur using Laplacian variance, and remove blurry images with a dry-run option for safety.

opencv image-processing automation
Python
from pathlib import Path
import cv2
import numpy as np

def is_blurry(image_path, threshold=100.0):
    """
    Detect if an image is blurry using Laplacian variance.
    Returns True if blurry, False otherwise.
    """
    img = cv2.imread(str(image_path), cv2.IMREAD_GRAYSCALE)
    if img is None:
        return True…
48 0 Open
Automation & scripting medium

Extract Every Open Graph and Social Media Meta Tag from Web Pages in Python

A Python script that fetches a webpage and extracts all Open Graph, Twitter Card, Facebook, and Article meta tags using the standard library HTML parser.

meta tags open graph twitter cards
Python
from html.parser import HTMLParser
import re
from urllib.request import urlopen
from urllib.parse import urlparse

class MetaExtractor(HTMLParser):
    def __init__(self):
        super().__init__()
        self.meta_tags = []
    
    def handle_starttag(self, tag, attrs):
        if tag == 'meta':
            attrs_…
34 0 Open
Automation & scripting medium

Find Best Meeting Time Across Time Zones in Python

This code calculates overlapping available hours among participants in different time zones and returns the best meeting time in UTC and each participant's local time.

timezones scheduling datetime
Python
from datetime import datetime, timedelta, timezone
from zoneinfo import ZoneInfo
from dataclasses import dataclass
from typing import List, Tuple, Optional

@dataclass
class Participant:
    name: str
    timezone: str
    # weekdays availability: 0=Mon, start_hour (0-23), end_hour (0-23)
    available_slots: List[Tup…
39 0 Open
Automation & scripting medium

How to Generate Project Statistics Including Lines of Code and Complexity in Python

Walk through a Python script that scans a project directory for Python files, counts lines of code excluding blanks and comments, and estimates cyclomatic complexity by counting decision keywords.

code metrics lines of code cyclomatic complexity
Python
import os
from pathlib import Path

def count_lines_of_code(filepath):
    """Counts lines of code in a Python file, excluding blank lines and comments."""
    try:
        with open(filepath, 'r') as f:
            lines = f.readlines()
        code_lines = [line for line in lines if line.strip() and not line.strip()…
40 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.