Python Code
Samples
Medium snippets you can copy, study, and run in the browser editor.
How to Diff Two Dicts in Python for Config Drift
Recursively compare two dictionaries and report added, removed, and changed keys with their old and new values for debugging configuration drift.
def diff_dicts(a, b, path=""):
differences = []
for key in a.keys() | b.keys():
new_path = f"{path}.{key}" if path else key
if key not in a:
differences.append((new_path, "<missing>", b[key], "added"))
elif key not in b:
differences.append((new_path, a[key], "<…Generate a Beautiful Folder Tree Visualization in Python
A Python utility that creates a visual tree of a directory structure, excluding common files, with configurable depth.
import os
from pathlib import Path
class FolderTree:
def __init__(self, root_path=".", ignore_list=None, max_depth=3):
self.root = Path(root_path)
self.ignore = set(ignore_list or [".git", "__pycache__", ".DS_Store"])
self.max_depth = max_depth
def generate(self):
tree…How to Audit Environment Variable Files for Missing Values in Python
A Python tool that reads an environment variable file and reports any variables with empty or missing values.
import os
import re
from pathlib import Path
def audit_env_file(filepath: str) -> None:
"""
Audit an environment variable file for missing values.
Prints file status and lists variables that have empty values.
"""
path = Path(filepath)
if not path.exists():
print(f"Error: File '{filepa…How to Deep Merge Nested Dicts Recursively in Python
Recursively merge two Python dictionaries, with overlay values taking precedence while preserving nested structures.
def deep_merge(base, overlay):
"""
Recursively merge two dictionaries.
Values in 'overlay' take precedence over 'base'.
"""
result = base.copy()
for key, value in overlay.items():
if key in result and isinstance(result[key], dict) and isinstance(value, dict):
result[key…How to Scan Configuration Files for Security Issues in Python
Automatically scan configuration files for common security mistakes using regex rules in Python.
import re
import os
from pathlib import Path
SECURITY_RULES = [
(r'^#\s*INSECURE_', 'Insecure comment starts with # INSECURE_'),
(r'password\s*=\s*("|\\\')?[^"\\\'"\s]+("|\\\')?$', 'Hardcoded password'),
(r'debug\s*=\s*True', 'Debug mode enabled'),
(r'[Pp]ermit[Rr]ootLogin\s+yes', 'PermitRootLogin ena…Exponential Backoff with Jitter for Cloud API Calls in Python
A Python snippet demonstrating exponential backoff with jitter for retrying transient cloud API failures, using a simulated client that has a configurable success rate.
import random
import time
def exponential_backoff_with_jitter(retries=5, base_delay=0.5, max_delay=4.0, jitter_factor=0.3):
for attempt in range(1, retries + 1):
delay = min(max_delay, base_delay * (2 ** (attempt - 1)))
jitter = delay * random.uniform(-jitter_factor, jitter_factor)
effect…How to Enforce Indentation Rules From .editorconfig in Python
A mock function that reads .editorconfig-style indentation rules (spaces or tabs, size) and fixes indentation in source code lines by tracking brace depth.
def enforce_indent(editorconfig_rules, file_content):
"""
Mock function to enforce indentation rules from .editorconfig.
Returns the content with indentation fixed (or unchanged if already compliant).
"""
indent_style = editorconfig_rules.get("indent_style", "spaces")
indent_size = int(editorco…How to set up mypy strict mode in Python
Demonstrates how to configure and run mypy in strict mode to enforce full type annotation coverage across a Python project.
from typing import Dict, Optional
def describe_user(name: str, age: int, email: Optional[str] = None) -> Dict[str, object]:
"""Build a user description dictionary with strict type annotations."""
user: Dict[str, object] = {"name": name, "age": age}
if email is not None:
user["email"] = email
…Singleton Config Loader in Python with Caution
Implements a singleton config loader in Python that reads JSON config files, but demonstrates the hidden gotcha of shared state across instances.
import json
from pathlib import Path
class ConfigLoader:
_instance = None
def __new__(cls, *args, **kwargs):
if cls._instance is None:
cls._instance = super().__new__(cls)
return cls._instance
def __init__(self, config_file="config.json"):
if not hasattr(self, "loaded…How to implement rate limiting per API key in Python
A simple sliding-window rate limiter that tracks request timestamps per API key and rejects requests exceeding the configured limit.
import time
API_RATE_LIMITS = {"api_key_1": 5, "api_key_2": 3} # max requests per window
WINDOW_SECONDS = 10
class RateLimiter:
def __init__(self, limits, window):
self.limits = limits
self.window = window
self.requests = {key: [] for key in limits}
def allow(self, api_key):
…How to Build a Python Latency Histogram with Mock Buckets
This code implements a mock latency histogram that records request durations into configurable buckets and outputs counts, total, and average latency.
import time
import random
from collections import Counter
class LatencyHistogram:
def __init__(self, buckets):
self.buckets = sorted(buckets)
self.counts = Counter()
self.total = 0
self.sum_latency = 0
def record(self, latency_ms):
for i, boundary in enumerate(self.bu…How to Mock Service Call Timeouts in Python
Simulate service calls with configurable timeouts using Mock to patch sleep and randomness, covering success and timeout cases.
import time
from unittest.mock import Mock, patch
# Simulate a service call with configurable timeout
def call_service(service_name, timeout=5):
"""Mock a service call that may time out."""
start = time.time()
print(f"Calling {service_name}...")
# Simulate service latency (randomized for realism)…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.
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:
…Simulate Shard Key Cardinality in Python
Generate mock data with configurable cardinality to evaluate shard key distribution and detect hotspots in database scaling design.
import random
import string
def calculate_cardinality(values):
"""Return the number of distinct values in the given list."""
return len(set(values))
def generate_mock_data(num_records, cardinality):
"""Generate mock records for a shard key with given cardinality."""
possible_keys = [f"key_{i:04d}" fo…How to Mock Environment Variables in Python
A context manager that injects and restores environment variables for isolated testing of config-dependent code.
import os
class EnvInjector:
def __init__(self, mock_vars=None):
self.mock_vars = mock_vars or {}
self.original = {}
def __enter__(self):
for key, value in self.mock_vars.items():
if key in os.environ:
self.original[key] = os.environ[key]
os.env…How to Mock Environment Variables in Python for 12-Factor Config
Read 12-factor config from env vars and test/mock them with unittest.mock.patch.dict without touching the real environment.
import os
import json
from unittest.mock import patch
def load_config(env_prefix="APP"):
"""Read 12-factor style config from env vars"""
required = ["DATABASE_URL", "API_KEY"]
optional = {"PORT": "8080", "DEBUG": "false"}
config = {}
for key in required:
full_key = f"{env_prefix}_{key…Mock ConfigMap Mount Environment Variables in Python
Simulate reading environment variables from a Kubernetes ConfigMap-mounted directory and test it with mocks.
import os
import tempfile
from unittest.mock import patch
def load_config_from_mount(mount_path):
"""Simulate reading environment variables from a ConfigMap-mounted directory."""
config = {}
for filename in os.listdir(mount_path):
file_path = os.path.join(mount_path, filename)
if os.path.i…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
- Pick a topic section — strings, lists, files, functions, and more
- Open a sample, read How it works, and copy the code block
- 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.