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Python Code Samples

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

28 matches
Functions & basics medium

How to Implement a Trampoline for Tail Recursion in Python

This code implements a trampoline decorator that converts tail-recursive functions into iterative loops, allowing deep recursion without hitting Python's recursion limit.

trampoline tail-recursion decorator
Python
def trampoline(fn):
    """Convert a tail-recursive function into an iterative loop."""
    def wrapper(*args, **kwargs):
        result = fn(*args, **kwargs)
        while callable(result):
            result = result()
        return result
    return wrapper

@trampoline
def factorial(n, acc=1):
    """Tail-recursi…
11 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
Algorithms & data structures medium

Binary Search on Answer in Python: Koko Eating Bananas

Find the minimum eating speed so Koko finishes all banana piles within a given hour limit using binary search on the answer.

binary-search algorithms search
Python
import math

def min_eating_speed(piles, h):
    """Return minimum integer eating speed K so Koko finishes within h hours."""
    def hours_needed(speed):
        return sum(math.ceil(p / speed) for p in piles)

    low, high = 1, max(piles)
    while low < high:
        mid = (low + high) // 2
        if hours_needed…
15 0 Open
Comprehensions & generators medium

How to Generate Primes with a Generator in Python

Generate prime numbers up to a limit using the Sieve of Eratosthenes wrapped in a generator expression for lazy evaluation.

generators sieve primes
Python
def prime_generator(limit):
    sieve = [True] * (limit + 1)
    sieve[0] = sieve[1] = False

    for i in range(2, int(limit ** 0.5) + 1):
        if sieve[i]:
            for j in range(i * i, limit + 1, i):
                sieve[j] = False

    return (num for num, is_prime in enumerate(sieve) if is_prime)


if __n…
15 0 Open
AI & LLM integration patterns medium

How to Retry LLM Calls on Rate Limit Errors in Python

Implement a retry mechanism with exponential backoff for LLM API calls that raises a custom RateLimitError, using a mock function to demonstrate the pattern.

llm retry rate-limit
Python
import time
import random


def mock_llm_call():
    """Simulates an LLM API call that may raise a rate limit error."""
    if random.random() < 0.4:  # 40% chance of rate limit
        raise RateLimitError("Rate limit exceeded. Try again later.")
    return {"response": "Hello world from mock LLM"}


class RateLimitE…
16 0 Open
Concurrency & performance medium

How to Demonstrate the GIL with Python Threads vs Processes

Measure and compare wall-clock time for CPU-bound work using Python threads (limited by the GIL) versus multiprocessing (which bypasses the GIL).

gil threading multiprocessing
Python
import threading
import multiprocessing
import time
import os


def cpu_heavy(n):
    return sum(i * i for i in range(n))


def run_threads(n):
    threads = [threading.Thread(target=cpu_heavy, args=(n,)) for _ in range(2)]
    start = time.perf_counter()
    for t in threads:
        t.start()
    for t in threads:
 …
12 0 Open
Concurrency & performance medium

How to Implement a Token Bucket Rate Limiter with asyncio in Python

This code implements a thread-safe token bucket rate limiter for asyncio, allowing you to limit the rate of async tasks or API calls.

asyncio rate-limiting token-bucket
Python
import asyncio
import time


class TokenBucket:
    def __init__(self, rate_per_second, capacity):
        self.rate = rate_per_second
        self.capacity = capacity
        self.tokens = capacity
        self.last_refill = time.monotonic()
        self.lock = asyncio.Lock()

    async def acquire(self):
        asy…
14 0 Open
Concurrency & performance medium

Limit Concurrency with asyncio.Semaphore in Python

Use asyncio.Semaphore to cap how many async tasks run at once, throttling a batch of coroutines to a set concurrency limit.

asyncio concurrency semaphore
Python
import asyncio
import random


async def fetch_data(i: int, semaphore: asyncio.Semaphore) -> str:
    async with semaphore:
        print(f"Task {i} starts")
        await asyncio.sleep(random.uniform(0.1, 0.5))
        print(f"Task {i} finishes")
        return f"Result {i}"


async def main() -> None:
    semaphore …
13 0 Open
System design patterns medium

How to Limit Concurrent Requests with a Semaphore in Python

Use threading.Semaphore with a ThreadPoolExecutor to cap how many worker threads run simultaneously, preventing resource overload.

concurrency semaphore threading
Python
import threading
import time
from concurrent.futures import ThreadPoolExecutor

def worker(name, semaphore, results):
    with semaphore:
        results.append(f"start {name}")
        time.sleep(0.5)  # simulate async work
        results.append(f"done {name}")

def main():
    sem = threading.Semaphore(2)  # max 2 …
14 0 Open
System design patterns medium

Simulate a Leaky Bucket Rate Limiter in Python

This code implements a leaky bucket rate limiter that drains at a fixed rate and accepts or rejects incoming requests based on capacity.

rate limiting leaky bucket simulation
Python
import time
from collections import deque


class LeakyBucket:
    """Simulates a leaky bucket rate limiter with a fixed drain rate."""
    def __init__(self, capacity, drain_rate_per_sec):
        self.capacity = capacity
        self.drain_rate = drain_rate_per_sec
        self.water = 0.0
        self.last_refill =…
13 0 Open
API design & gRPC medium

How to Handle Retry-After Header in Python

Parse the Retry-After header from rate-limited API responses and implement retry logic with proper delays in Python.

retry-after api rate-limiting
Python
```python
import time
from datetime import datetime, timedelta


class RetryAfterHandler:
    def __init__(self, max_retries=3):
        self.max_retries = max_retries

    def get_retry_after_seconds(self, response_headers):
        retry_after_value = response_headers.get("Retry-After")
        if retry_after_value …
14 0 Open
API design & gRPC medium

How to Mock X-RateLimit Headers in Python

This code creates a local HTTP server that mimics rate limit headers (X-RateLimit-Limit, Remaining, Reset, Update) and returns 429 responses when the limit is exceeded.

http rate-limit server
Python
import time
import threading
from http.server import BaseHTTPRequestHandler, HTTPServer


class RateLimitHandler(BaseHTTPRequestHandler):
    RATE_LIMIT = 5          # max requests allowed
    WINDOW_SECONDS = 60     # per time window

    def __init__(self, *args, **kwargs):
        super().__init__(*args, **kwargs)
…
14 0 Open
Streaming & messaging medium

How to Build a Flow Control Credit Window in Python

A Python class that reserves, confirms, releases, and settles credit to limit message flow and prevent overload in streaming pipelines.

flow-control credit-window streaming
Python
class CreditWindow:
    def __init__(self, max_credit=1000):
        self.max_credit = max_credit
        self.used_credit = 0
        self.pending_credit = 0
    
    def try_reserve(self, amount):
        available = self.max_credit - self.used_credit - self.pending_credit
        if available >= amount:
           …
14 0 Open
Caching & Redis medium

Redis Leaky Bucket Rate Limiting Mock in Python

Simulates a Redis-backed leaky bucket rate limiter using a local class with continuous leaking and token capacity checks.

rate-limiting redis algorithms
Python
import time
from collections import deque


class LeakyBucket:
    def __init__(self, capacity, leak_rate):
        self.capacity = capacity
        self.leak_rate = leak_rate
        self.water = 0.0
        self.timestamp = time.time()
        self.history = deque()

    def allow(self):
        current = time.time(…
14 0 Open
Caching & Redis medium

Redis-inspired sliding window rate limiter in Python

A pure-Python sliding window rate limiter using a deque of timestamps, mock-ready for Redis-backed production limits.

redis rate-limit sliding-window
Python
import time
from collections import deque


class SlidingWindowRateLimiter:
    def __init__(self, max_requests: int, window_seconds: int) -> None:
        self.max_requests = max_requests
        self.window_seconds = window_seconds
        self.requests: dict[str, deque] = {}

    def is_allowed(self, client_id: str…
14 0 Open
Reliability & rate limiting medium

GCRA generic cell rate algorithm in Python

Mock implementation of the Generic Cell Rate Algorithm (GCRA) for traffic shaping and rate limiting.

gcra rate-limiting traffic-shaping
Python
from collections import deque
import time

class GCRA:
    def __init__(self, rate, burst):
        self.tau = burst
        self.T = rate
        self.t = 0
        self.LCT = 0

    def add_cell(self, arrival_time):
        if arrival_time <= self.t:
            return False
        arrived_early = (arrival_time - s…
14 0 Open
Reliability & rate limiting medium

How to Implement a Bulkhead Pattern with Threading in Python

Implement a bulkhead pattern in Python that isolates concurrent tasks with a bounded semaphore, limiting active workers to prevent resource exhaustion.

bulkhead threading semaphore
Python
import threading
import time
import random


class Bulkhead:
    def __init__(self, workers: int):
        self._semaphore = threading.BoundedSemaphore(workers)
        self._lock = threading.Lock()
        self._active = 0

    def run(self, task):
        with self._semaphore:
            with self._lock:
          …
13 0 Open
Reliability & rate limiting medium

How to Implement a Sliding Window Log Rate Limiter in Python

Implements a sliding window log rate limiter in Python using a deque of timestamps to enforce a maximum request count within a rolling time window.

rate-limiting sliding-window deque
Python
from collections import deque
from datetime import datetime, timedelta
from time import sleep


class SlidingWindowLog:
    def __init__(self, window_seconds: int, max_requests: int):
        self.window_seconds = window_seconds
        self.max_requests = max_requests
        self.timestamps = deque()

    def allow_…
15 0 Open
Reliability & rate limiting medium

How to Implement a Token Bucket Rate Limiter per Client IP in Python

Implements a simple sliding-window rate limiter using a dictionary of timestamp lists per client IP to limit requests per window.

rate-limiting sliding-window ip
Python
from time import time
from collections import defaultdict

class RateLimiter:
    def __init__(self, max_requests: int, window_seconds: int):
        self.max_requests = max_requests
        self.window_seconds = window_seconds
        self.clients = defaultdict(list)

    def allow(self, ip: str) -> bool:
        now…
13 0 Open
Reliability & rate limiting medium

How to Implement an Adaptive Rate Limiter in Python

Build an adaptive rate limiter that adjusts request intervals dynamically based on recent error rates, slowing down when failures spike.

rate-limiting backoff adaptive
Python
import time
import random

class AdaptiveRateLimiter:
    """Simple adaptive rate limiter that reduces requests when error rate is high."""
    
    def __init__(self, min_interval=0.1, max_interval=2.0, error_threshold=0.3):
        self.min_interval = min_interval
        self.max_interval = max_interval
        sel…
12 0 Open
Reliability & rate limiting medium

How to Send Messages to a Dead Letter Queue in Python

Simulates a poison message queue that retries failed messages up to a limit before moving them to a dead letter queue.

dlq message queue retries
Python
import json

class PoisonMessageQueue:
    def __init__(self, max_retries=3):
        self.dlq = []
        self.max_retries = max_retries
        self.processed_count = 0
        self.failed_count = 0

    def process_message(self, message_body):
        if "poison" in message_body:
            self.failed_count += 1…
15 0 Open
Reliability & rate limiting medium

How to implement a rate-limited shared counter in Python

Implements a thread-safe global counter that allows a maximum number of increments per second using a lock and time-based refill.

rate-limiting threading global-counter
Python
import threading
import time
import random

counter = 0
lock = threading.Lock()
MAX_CALLS_PER_SECOND = 3
last_refill = time.time()

def rate_limited_increment():
    global counter, last_refill
    with lock:
        now = time.time()
        if now - last_refill >= 1.0:
            last_refill = now
            count…
12 0 Open
Reliability & rate limiting medium

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.

rate-limiting api time-window
Python
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):
       …
13 0 Open
Reliability & rate limiting medium

Leaky Bucket Rate Limiter in Python: Smooth Burst Traffic

Implements a token-bucket-style leaky bucket rate limiter that smooths bursty traffic by draining at a fixed rate and dropping excess packets.

rate-limiting traffic-shaping simulation
Python
import time
import random


class LeakyBucket:
    def __init__(self, capacity, drain_rate):
        self.capacity = capacity
        self.drain_rate = drain_rate
        self.water = 0.0
        self.last_time = time.time()

    def allow(self, packet_size=1.0):
        now = time.time()
        elapsed = now - self.…
14 0 Open

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