Reference library

Python Code Samples

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

23 matches
Functions & basics medium

How to Invalidate Cache When Arguments Change in Python

A memoization decorator that caches function results keyed by arguments, automatically invalidating when inputs change.

decorators caching memoization
Python
from functools import wraps

def memoize(func):
    cache = {}
    
    @wraps(func)
    def wrapper(*args, **kwargs):
        key = (args, tuple(sorted(kwargs.items())))
        if key not in cache:
            cache[key] = func(*args, **kwargs)
        return cache[key]
    
    return wrapper

@memoize
def expensiv…
14 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 Lazy Load an Expensive Attribute with a Proxy in Python

This code shows a Proxy class that lazily loads an ExpensiveResource only when first accessed, caching it for subsequent uses.

lazy-loading proxy properties
Python
class ExpensiveResource:
    def __init__(self, name):
        self.name = name
        print(f"Expensive resource '{name}' created (e.g., DB connection)")

    def use(self):
        return f"Using {self.name}"

class Proxy:
    def __init__(self, name):
        self._name = name
        self._resource = None

    @p…
15 0 Open
Concurrency & performance medium

How to Use a Weakref Cache to Avoid Memory Leaks in Python

This code demonstrates building a value cache with weakref.WeakValueDictionary so objects can be garbage collected when no longer referenced, preventing memory leaks.

weakref caching memory
Python
import weakref
import gc


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

    def __repr__(self):
        return f"ExpensiveObject('{self.name}')"


class ObjectCache:
    def __init__(self):
        self._cache = weakref.WeakValueDictionary()

    def get_or_create(self, name):
       …
13 0 Open
System design patterns medium

How to implement stale-while-revalidate caching in Python

A Python cache wrapper that returns a stale cached value with a fallback flag when the upstream fetch fails, using TTL-based freshness checks.

caching ttl resilience
Python
import time
from functools import lru_cache


class CachedService:
    def __init__(self, fetch_func, ttl=5):
        self.fetch_func = fetch_func
        self.ttl = ttl
        self._cache = {}
        self._timestamp = {}

    def get(self, key):
        now = time.time()
        if key in self._cache and now - self…
12 0 Open
Caching & Redis medium

Cache Penetration Null Object Mock in Python

Implement a cache that stores a null marker on misses to prevent repeated database hits, reducing cache penetration.

caching null-object ttl
Python
import time
from collections import defaultdict
from typing import Any, Optional


class Cache:
    def __init__(self):
        self.store: dict[str, Any] = {}
        self.ttl: dict[str, float] = {}
        self.null_marker = object()

    def get(self, key: str, ttl: int = 60, fallback:
            Any = None) -> An…
16 0 Open
Caching & Redis medium

Cache Stampede Prevention with SingleFlight in Python

Implements a SingleFlight pattern in Python to deduplicate concurrent cache-miss computations and prevent cache stampede.

caching concurrency singleflight
Python
import threading
import time
from functools import wraps


class SingleFlight:
    def __init__(self):
        self._lock = threading.Lock()
        self._inflight = None

    def do(self, key, fn):
        with self._lock:
            if self._inflight is not None:
                return self._inflight[1]
           …
15 0 Open
Caching & Redis medium

Consistent Hashing Cache Shard in Python

A minimal consistent hashing ring with virtual nodes that distributes cache keys across shards and minimizes re-mapping when a node is removed.

caching sharding consistent-hashing
Python
import hashlib
import bisect


class ConsistentHashRing:
    def __init__(self, nodes=None, replicas=3):
        self.replicas = replicas
        self.ring = {}
        self.sorted_keys = []
        if nodes:
            for node in nodes:
                self.add_node(node)

    def _hash(self, key):
        return i…
16 0 Open
Caching & Redis medium

How to Build a Bloom Filter to Reduce Cache Misses in Python

Implement a probabilistic Bloom filter in Python that lets a cache quickly determine which keys are definitely not present, reducing expensive source lookups on cache misses.

bloom-filter caching probabilistic
Python
import hashlib
import random

class BloomFilter:
    def __init__(self, size=100, num_hashes=3):
        self.size = size
        self.num_hashes = num_hashes
        self.bit_array = [0] * size

    def _hashes(self, item):
        result = []
        for i in range(self.num_hashes):
            hash_value = int(hash…
14 0 Open
Caching & Redis medium

How to Cache Function Results in Redis with Python

A Python decorator that caches function results in Redis using TTL, with optional fakeredis for testing without a server.

redis caching decorator
Python
import redis
import json
import time
try:
    import fakeredis
except ImportError:
    fakeredis = None

from functools import wraps


def cache_redis(cache_key_prefix="cache", ttl=60):
    """Decorator to cache function results in Redis."""
    if fakeredis:
        r = fakeredis.FakeStrictRedis()
    else:
        r…
14 0 Open
Caching & Redis medium

How to Implement Probabilistic Early Expiration in Python

A Python mock of probabilistic early expiration for caches, using a heap-based expiry queue and random eviction to approximate cache stampede protection.

caching expiration heap
Python
import heapq
import random
import time


class ProbabilisticEarlyExpirationMock:
    def __init__(self, capacity=1024, expiration_probability=0.1):
        self.capacity = capacity
        self.expiration_probability = expiration_probability
        self._items = {}
        self._expiry_heap = []
        self._next_id…
14 0 Open
Caching & Redis medium

How to Implement a Write-Through Cache in Python with a Mock Database

A thread-safe write-through cache that updates both cache and mock database atomically, computing values only after a successful write to the database.

caching write-through threading
Python
import threading
import time
import random


class WriteThroughCache:
    def __init__(self):
        self.cache = {}
        self.db = {}
        self.lock = threading.Lock()

    def write(self, key, value):
        with self.lock:
            # Simulate slow database write
            time.sleep(random.uniform(0.01…
12 0 Open
Caching & Redis medium

How to Mock Redis Pipeline Batch Commands in Python

Create a lightweight MockRedis class that simulates Redis pipeline batching with SET, GET, and DELETE operations for testing without a live server.

redis pipeline mock
Python
import redis
import time


class MockRedis:
    def __init__(self):
        self.data = {}

    def pipeline(self):
        return MockPipeline(self)

    def execute(self, commands):
        results = []
        for cmd in commands:
            op, args = cmd[0], cmd[1:]
            if op == "SET":
                se…
14 0 Open
Caching & Redis medium

How to Mock a Redis Session Store Cookie SID in Python

Mock a Redis-backed session store with a cookie-based session ID (SID) in Python, including the create, read, and delete operations.

redis session cookies
Python
import redis
import uuid
import time


class RedisSessionStore:
    def __init__(self, host="localhost", port=6379, db=0, prefix="session:"):
        self.client = redis.Redis(host=host, port=port, db=db)
        self.prefix = prefix

    def create_session(self, timeout_seconds=3600):
        session_id = uuid.uuid4(…
14 0 Open
Caching & Redis medium

How to Mock a Redis Transaction with MULTI/EXEC in Python

A minimal in-memory mock of Redis MULTI/EXEC transactions that queues commands and applies them atomically on EXEC.

redis mock transactions
Python
class RedisTransactionMock:
    def __init__(self):
        self.data = {}
        self.queue = []
        self.in_transaction = False

    def multi(self):
        self.in_transaction = True
        self.queue = []
        return "OK"

    def set(self, key, value):
        if self.in_transaction:
            self.qu…
14 0 Open
Caching & Redis medium

How to Mock zlib Compression for Cache Values in Python

Compress cache values with zlib and mock the compress function in unit tests to simulate cache behavior.

zlib mock caching
Python
import zlib
from unittest.mock import patch

def compress_value(data: bytes) -> bytes:
    """Compress data using zlib and return the compressed bytes."""
    return zlib.compress(data)

def decompress_value(compressed: bytes) -> bytes:
    """Decompress zlib data and return the original bytes."""
    return zlib.deco…
11 0 Open
Caching & Redis medium

How to Serialize Cache Values with JSON and Pickle in Python

Serialize cache values using JSON for simple types or pickle for arbitrary objects, with robust error handling for unsupported types like mocks.

serialization caching json
Python
import json
import pickle
from unittest.mock import Mock

def serialize(value, method="json"):
    """Serialize a cache value using JSON or pickle with type checking."""
    if method == "json":
        try:
            return json.dumps(value).encode("utf-8")
        except TypeError as e:
            raise ValueErro…
11 0 Open
Caching & Redis medium

How to Validate and Cache Data with Redis in Python

A beginner-friendly helper that validates email, phone, and age data and caches validated entries in Redis for 5 minutes.

redis caching validation
Python
import redis
import json
from functools import wraps

class DataValidator:
    def __init__(self, host="localhost", port=6379, db=0):
        self.cache = redis.Redis(host=host, port=port, db=db)
        self.validators = {
            "email": lambda v: "@" in v and "." in v.split("@")[-1],
            "phone": lambd…
15 0 Open
Caching & Redis medium

Refresh Proactive TTL Renewal in Python

This snippet implements a proactive TTL renewal pattern that refreshes a cache expiration before it lapses, using a mock counter to track renewals.

caching ttl renewal
Python
import time
from datetime import datetime, timezone

class TTLRenewer:
    def __init__(self, ttl_seconds=10, renew_at=0.5):
        self.ttl = ttl_seconds
        self.last_renewed = time.time()
        self.renew_threshold = ttl_seconds * renew_at
        self.renewals = 0

    def check_and_renew(self):
        if …
13 0 Open
Microservices patterns medium

Fallback cached response mock in Python

Wraps a mock function with a fallback to a real service and caches results to mask transient failures.

microservices caching fallback
Python
import time
from functools import wraps

class CachedMock:
    def __init__(self, cache_ttl=5):
        self.cache = {}
        self.cache_ttl = cache_ttl

    def get(self, key):
        cached = self.cache.get(key)
        if cached and time.time() - cached["timestamp"] < self.cache_ttl:
            return cached["v…
14 0 Open
A/B testing & experimentation medium

How to Mock Time for Cache TTL Testing in Python

This code demonstrates how to test a cache's TTL expiration logic by mocking time.time with unittest.mock to control the passage of time.

caching ttl unit-testing
Python
import time
from unittest.mock import patch

class ConfigCache:
    def __init__(self, ttl=60):
        self.ttl = ttl
        self._store = {}
        self._timestamps = {}

    def get(self, key):
        if key not in self._store:
            return None
        if time.time() - self._timestamps[key] > self.ttl:
  …
17 0 Open
Auth & security at scale medium

How to implement OCSP stapling mock in Python

Simulate OCSP stapling with a caching mechanism that mocks certificate status lookups for TLS handshake validation.

ocsp tls security
Python
import hashlib
import time

class OCSPStapler:
    def __init__(self, cert_serial: str, issuer_hash: str):
        self.cert_serial = cert_serial
        self.issuer_hash = issuer_hash
        self.cache = {}

    def _mock_query_ocsp(self, serial: str) -> dict:
        """Simulate OCSP responder lookup."""
        di…
12 0 Open
Auth & security at scale medium

Mock client credentials machine auth in Python

This code simulates the OAuth2 client-credentials flow for service-to-service calls, generating a mock bearer token with expiry and caching, plus a revoke method, using only the standard library.

oauth2 auth mock
Python
import time
import hashlib
import secrets

class MachineAuth:
    """Mock client-credentials machine auth for service-to-service calls."""
    
    def __init__(self, client_id, client_secret):
        self.client_id = client_id
        self.client_secret = client_secret
        self._token = None
        self._expire…
15 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.