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Python Code Samples

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

15 matches
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")
  …
12 0 Open
Files & data medium

Chunk Large File Upload Simulation by Blocks in Python

A Python script reads a large binary file in fixed-size chunks and simulates a block-by-block upload with per-chunk SHA256 hashing.

file i/o chunking hashing
Python
import os
import hashlib
from pathlib import Path


def read_file_in_chunks(file_path, chunk_size=8196):
    """Yield chunks of a file as bytes."""
    with open(file_path, 'rb') as f:
        while chunk := f.read(chunk_size):
            yield chunk


def simulate_chunked_upload(file_path, chunk_size=8196):
    """S…
15 0 Open
Files & data medium

How to Use fcntl for Exclusive File Locking in Python

This code demonstrates how to acquire an exclusive advisory lock on a file using fcntl.flock with a non-blocking flag, simulate work, then release the lock.

fcntl file-locking flock
Python
import fcntl
import os
import tempfile
import time

def acquire_exclusive_lock(filepath):
    fd = os.open(filepath, os.O_RDWR | os.O_CREAT)
    try:
        fcntl.flock(fd, fcntl.LOCK_EX | fcntl.LOCK_NB)
        print(f"Exclusive lock acquired on {filepath}")
        time.sleep(1)  # Simulate work while holding the l…
12 0 Open
Automation & scripting medium

How to check Python files for common coding mistakes

Walks a directory tree parsing each .py file with ast, reporting empty functions, bare try blocks, too many parameters, and empty classes.

ast linting code-quality
Python
import ast
import os
import sys

def check_file(filepath):
    try:
        with open(filepath) as f:
            code = f.read()
        tree = ast.parse(code, filename=filepath)
    except SyntaxError as e:
        print(f"{filepath}: SyntaxError: {e.msg}")
        return
    
    issues = []
    for node in ast.wal…
42 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 Run Blocking Code in an Executor with asyncio in Python

This code runs blocking functions concurrently without stalling the event loop by offloading them to thread pool executors via asyncio.

asyncio executor concurrency
Python
import asyncio
import time


def blocking_task(name: str, duration: float) -> str:
    """Simulate a blocking operation."""
    time.sleep(duration)
    return f"Finished {name} after {duration}s"


async def main() -> None:
    loop = asyncio.get_running_loop()
    results = await asyncio.gather(
        loop.run_in_…
13 0 Open
Concurrency & performance medium

How to Use asyncio Lock to Protect a Shared Counter in Python

This code demonstrates how to use an asyncio.Lock to safely increment a shared counter from multiple concurrent coroutines.

asyncio lock concurrency
Python
import asyncio

async def increment(counter, lock, increments):
    for _ in range(increments):
        async with lock:
            counter[0] += 1

async def main():
    counter = [0]
    lock = asyncio.Lock()
    tasks = [
        increment(counter, lock, 1000)
        for _ in range(5)
    ]
    await asyncio.gath…
16 0 Open
Concurrency & performance medium

How to Use threading.RLock in Python

Demonstrates threading.RLock, a reentrant lock that allows the same thread to acquire it multiple times without deadlocking — essential for recursive functions sharing state across threads.

threading rlock concurrency
Python
import threading
import time

lock = threading.RLock()
shared_counter = 0

def recursive_increment(value, depth):
    global shared_counter
    with lock:
        shared_counter += 1
        print(f"Depth {depth}: counter = {shared_counter}")
        if depth > 1:
            recursive_increment(value, depth - 1)

def…
14 0 Open
API design & gRPC medium

How to Implement ETag Optimistic Concurrency in Python

Build a lightweight in-memory resource store that uses MD5 hash ETags to prevent lost updates via optimistic concurrency control.

etag concurrency hashing
Python
import hashlib
import json

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

    def get(self, resource_id):
        if resource_id not in self.data:
            return None, None
        return self.data[resource_id], self.etags[resource_id]

    def put(self, resource_id, …
13 0 Open
Caching & Redis medium

How to implement Redlock distributed lock in Python

Simulate Redis Redlock multi-instance locking to show how a distributed lock is acquired only when a majority of instances agree.

redlock distributed-locking redis
Python
import time
import random
import threading
from dataclasses import dataclass


@dataclass
class MockRedisLock:
    """Simple mock of a Redis lock instance."""
    name: str
    key: str
    ttl: int
    acquired: bool = False
    expires_at: float = 0.0

    def acquire(self, sleep_fn=time.sleep):
        """Try to ac…
17 0 Open
Caching & Redis medium

Implement a TTL cache with a mock clock in Python

This code creates a simple TTL cache that stores values with an expiration timestamp and allows injecting a mock time function to test expiry behavior deterministically.

cache ttl mocking
Python
import time
from functools import wraps

class TTLCache:
    def __init__(self, ttl_seconds):
        self.ttl = ttl_seconds
        self.cache = {}
        self._now = time.time

    def set_mock_time(self, mock_time_fn):
        """Inject a mock time function for testing TTL expiry."""
        self._now = mock_time_…
15 0 Open
Caching & Redis medium

Mock Redis Distributed Lock in Python with SET NX EX

A minimal in-memory mock of Redis SET NX EX distributed lock semantics for testing concurrent code without a real Redis server.

redis distributed-lock concurrency
Python
import time
import threading
import uuid
from typing import Optional


class RedisLockMock:
    """A minimal mock of Redis SET NX EX distributed lock semantics."""

    def __init__(self):
        self._store = {}  # key -> (value, expiry_epoch)

    def acquire(self, key: str, token: str, ttl_seconds: int) -> bool:
 …
15 0 Open
Caching & Redis medium

Python Redis WATCH optimistic lock mock

A MockRedis class that simulates WATCH/MULTI/EXEC transactions with optimistic locking to detect concurrent modifications before committing.

redis optimistic-locking transactions
Python
import time
import threading


class MockRedis:
    def __init__(self):
        self.data = {}
        self.watched = {}
        self.lock = threading.Lock()

    def get(self, key):
        return self.data.get(key)

    def set(self, key, value):
        self.data[key] = value

    def watch(self, *keys):
        wi…
12 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
A/B testing & experimentation medium

How to Mock Mutual Exclusion for A/B Experiment Groups in Python

Simulate mutual exclusion for experiment groups using a thread-safe lock, ensuring only one member updates the shared counter at a time.

threading mutual-exclusion ab-testing
Python
import threading
import time
import random


class CountingGate:
    """A mock mutual exclusion gate using a lock."""
    def __init__(self):
        self.counter = 0
        self.lock = threading.Lock()

    def enter(self, group_id, member_id):
        with self.lock:
            current = self.counter
            t…
13 0 Open

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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.