Reference library

Python Code Samples

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

240 matches
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
AI & LLM integration patterns medium

How to implement exponential backoff for LLM API calls in Python

A decorator that retries flaky LLM API calls with exponential delay, using a mock client to demonstrate the pattern.

exponential-backoff retries llm
Python
import time
import random

class MockLLM:
    def call(self, prompt):
        if random.random() < 0.7:  # 70% chance of transient failure
            raise ConnectionError("API unavailable")
        return f"LLM response for: {prompt}"

def with_exponential_backoff(max_retries=5, base_delay=0.1):
    def decorator(fu…
14 0 Open
Automation & scripting medium

How to Build a Mock Route53 DNS API in Python

Create a mock DNS API server in Python that simulates Route53 record lookups and updates using the standard library.

mock-server dns http-server
Python
import json
from http.server import BaseHTTPRequestHandler, HTTPServer
from urllib.parse import urlparse, parse_qs


class DNSUpdateHandler(BaseHTTPRequestHandler):
    records = {"example.com": "1.2.3.4"}

    def do_GET(self):
        domain = parse_qs(urlparse(self.path).query).get("domain", [""])[0]
        if dom…
13 0 Open
Automation & scripting medium

How to Create a Mock Docker Registry Auth Token Server in Python

Build a mock Docker Registry token authentication server that issues signed JWT-like tokens for push and pull access using Python's standard library.

docker registry jwt
Python
import base64
import hashlib
import hmac
import json
import time
from http.server import BaseHTTPRequestHandler, HTTPServer


class TokenAuthHandler(BaseHTTPRequestHandler):
    """Mock Docker Registry token authentication server."""

    SECRET_KEY = b"mock-secret-key"

    def generate_token(self, username: str, pas…
15 0 Open
Automation & scripting medium

How to Send an Email with smtplib and a Mock Server in Python

Send an email using smtplib and verify it with a local aiosmtpd mock SMTP server — perfect for testing without a real mail server.

smtplib email aiosmtpd
Python
import smtplib
from email.message import EmailMessage
import aiosmtpd.controller as controller
import threading


def handle_message(server, session, envelope):
    print(f"Mock server received message:")
    print(f"From: {envelope.mail_from}")
    print(f"To: {envelope.rcpt_tos}")
    print(f"Subject: {envelope.cont…
12 0 Open
Automation & scripting medium

Mount ISO Loop Device Mock Script in Python

Simulate ISO mounting with a loop device using a mock class — useful for testing scripts that depend on mount/unmount without actual system privileges.

iso loop-device mock
Python
import os
import tempfile
from dataclasses import dataclass
from pathlib import Path

@dataclass
class LoopDevice:
    path: str
    iso_path: str
    mounted: bool = False

    def mount(self, mount_point: str):
        if self.mounted:
            raise RuntimeError(f"Loop device {self.path} already mounted")
      …
14 0 Open
Data pipelines & processing medium

How to perform a star schema join in Python

Denormalize mock fact and dimension tables by building lookup dicts and enriching each sales fact with customer, product, and date attributes.

star-schema data-joins dimensional-modeling
Python
from datetime import date

# Mock dimension tables
customers = [
    {"customer_id": 1, "name": "Alice", "city": "New York"},
    {"customer_id": 2, "name": "Bob", "city": "Los Angeles"},
    {"customer_id": 3, "name": "Carol", "city": "Chicago"},
]

products = [
    {"product_id": 101, "name": "Laptop", "category": "…
12 0 Open
Data pipelines & processing medium

Map Partition Over Chunks in Python with Multiprocessing and Mock

Process data in chunks across multiple CPU cores using multiprocessing Pool.map, and mock the chunk function to test partitioning behavior without heavy computation.

multiprocessing chunking parallel
Python
from multiprocessing import Pool
from unittest.mock import patch, Mock

def process_chunk(chunk):
    return [x * x for x in chunk]

def map_partition_over_chunks(data, chunk_size, process_func=process_chunk):
    chunks = [data[i:i + chunk_size] for i in range(0, len(data), chunk_size)]
    with Pool() as pool:
     …
12 0 Open
Git + Python medium

How to Archive a Repository as a ZIP in Python

Create a ZIP archive of a repository directory with a mock export, skipping hidden files and __pycache__ folders.

zipfile os.walk archiving
Python
import zipfile
import io
import os
from pathlib import Path


def archive_repo_mock(repo_path, output_path="repo_archive.zip"):
    """Create a zip archive of a repository directory (mock export)."""
    repo = Path(repo_path)
    if not repo.exists():
        raise FileNotFoundError(f"Repository not found: {repo}")

…
13 0 Open
Git + Python medium

How to Build a Branch Protection Audit Mock API in Python

A mock HTTP API that serves branch protection rules for repositories and audits them for compliance, built with Python's standard library.

git api http-server
Python
import json
from http.server import BaseHTTPRequestHandler, HTTPServer
from urllib.parse import urlparse, parse_qs

REPOSITORIES = {
    "alpha": {
        "default_branch": "main",
        "branches": ["main", "develop", "feature-x"],
        "protection_rules": {
            "main": {"required_reviews": 2, "dismiss_…
9 0 Open
Git + Python medium

How to Get Current Git Branch Name in Python with Mock Subprocess

Mocks the subprocess call to reliably test the current git branch name retrieval using GitPython.

git gitpython subprocess
Python
import subprocess
from unittest.mock import patch, MagicMock
from git import Repo
import os


def get_current_branch(repo_path="."):
    """Get the current branch name of a git repository."""
    repo = Repo(repo_path)
    return repo.active_branch.name


if __name__ == "__main__":
    # Mock subprocess to control the…
12 0 Open
Git + Python medium

How to Mock Git Cherry-Pick in Python for Tests

Mock the `repo.git.cherry_pick` method with `unittest.mock` to test a Git cherry-pick helper without a real repository.

git mock unittest
Python
from unittest.mock import patch, MagicMock

class GitCherryPicker:
    def __init__(self):
        self.applied_commits = []
    
    def cherry_pick(self, commit_hash, repo):
        try:
            result = repo.git.cherry_pick(commit_hash)
            self.applied_commits.append(commit_hash)
            return f"A…
14 0 Open
Git + Python medium

How to Mock Git Pre-commit Hooks (black and ruff) in Python

Mock subprocess to test black and ruff pre-commit commands without actually running them, verifying exit codes.

git pre-commit mocking
Python
import sys
import subprocess
from unittest.mock import patch

def run_hook(command: list[str]) -> int:
    with patch("subprocess.run") as mock_run:
        mock_run.return_value.returncode = 0
        mock_run.return_value.stdout = f"Mocked: {' '.join(command)}"
        result = subprocess.run(command, capture_output…
15 0 Open
Git + Python medium

How to Mock Git Stash and Pop in Python

Mock Git stash, apply, and pop operations using unittest.mock so you can test Git automation without touching a real repository.

git mock gitpython
Python
import git
from unittest.mock import Mock, patch

def stash_and_pop(repo):
    """Mock a stash operation and then pop it back."""
    repo.git.stash("save", "WIP: temp changes")
    stashed_output = repo.git.stash("list")
    
    # Simulate the stash was applied, then pop
    repo.git.stash("apply", "stash@{0}")
    …
14 0 Open
Git + Python medium

How to Mock open() in Python Using unittest.mock.patch

This code shows how to use unittest.mock.patch with mock_open to test a function that checks if a Git patch can be reverse-applied by reading file content.

unittest mocking git
Python
import unittest
from unittest.mock import patch, mock_open


def apply_reverse_check(file_path, expected_patch):
    """
    Check if a patch can be reverse-applied by comparing file content
    with the expected patch's reverse result.
    """
    try:
        with open(file_path, "r") as f:
            content = f.r…
15 0 Open
Git + Python medium

Mock smtplib to Test Patch Email Series in Python

Simulate sending a numbered series of patch emails with smtplib and verify the calls using unittest.mock without a real mail server.

smtplib unittest.mock email
Python
import smtplib
from email.mime.text import MIMEText
from email.mime.multipart import MIMEMultipart
from unittest.mock import patch, Mock

def send_patch_series(subject_prefix, patches, smtp_host="localhost", smtp_port=25):
    """Simulate sending a series of patch emails."""
    for i, patch_content in enumerate(patch…
13 0 Open
Cloud + Python medium

Cross Account Role Chaining Mock Credentials in Python

Simulate AWS STS AssumeRole with mock credentials for cross-account role chaining in Python.

aws sts mock
Python
import json

class CredentialChain:
    def __init__(self, account_id, role_name):
        self.account_id = account_id
        self.role_name = role_name
        self.credentials = {}

    def assume_role(self, session_name="mock_session"):
        """Simulate STS AssumeRole, returning mock credentials with expiry.""…
16 0 Open
Cloud + Python medium

Generate a Mock Presigned URL in Python with HMAC

Build a mock AWS S3 presigned URL using an HMAC-SHA256 signature, mimicking the core SigV4 pattern without cloud SDK dependencies.

aws s3 presigned-url
Python
import hashlib
import hmac
import time
import base64

def generate_presigned_url_mock(secret_key, bucket, object_key, expires_in=3600):
    # Build the canonical request string (simplified AWS SigV4 style)
    timestamp = str(int(time.time()))
    expiry = str(int(time.time()) + expires_in)
    payload = f"GET\n/{buck…
13 0 Open
Cloud + Python medium

How to Mock AWS SQS Send Receive Delete in Python

Build an in-memory mock of the SQS send, receive, and delete message flow for local testing.

aws sqs mock
Python
import json
from collections import deque
from uuid import uuid4


class MockSQSQueue:
    def __init__(self, name):
        self.name = name
        self._messages = deque()
        self._in_flight = {}

    def send_message(self, body, attributes=None):
        message_id = str(uuid4())
        message = {
         …
14 0 Open
Cloud + Python medium

How to Mock Azure Key Vault Secret Get in Python

Mock an Azure Key Vault client's get_secret method with unittest.mock to test functions that retrieve secret values without hitting the real service.

azure key-vault unittest
Python
import unittest
from unittest.mock import MagicMock, patch


def get_secret(key_vault_client, secret_name):
    """Retrieve a secret value from an Azure Key Vault client."""
    secret = key_vault_client.get_secret(secret_name)
    return secret.value


class TestKeyVaultSecretGet(unittest.TestCase):
    def test_get_…
13 0 Open
Cloud + Python medium

How to Mock RDS Snapshot Create and Restore in Python

Mock AWS RDS snapshot creation and restore operations in Python tests using moto and boto3 without hitting real AWS services.

boto3 moto rds
Python
import boto3
from moto import mock_rds


@mock_rds
def create_and_restore_snapshot():
    client = boto3.client("rds", region_name="us-east-1")
    client.create_db_instance(
        DBInstanceIdentifier="my-db",
        DBInstanceClass="db.t3.micro",
        Engine="postgres",
        AllocatedStorage=20,
        Mas…
14 0 Open
Cloud + Python medium

How to mock boto3 S3 upload file wrapper in Python

Wrap an S3 put_object call in a testable function that returns metadata, and mock boto3 to verify the upload without touching AWS.

boto3 s3 aws
Python
import boto3
import io


def upload_file_to_s3(file_obj, bucket, key, object_metadata=None):
    """Upload a file-like object to S3 and return a metadata dict."""
    s3 = boto3.client("s3")
    content = file_obj.read()
    s3.put_object(
        Bucket=bucket,
        Key=key,
        Body=content,
        Metadata=…
13 0 Open
Cloud + Python medium

How to mock boto3 S3 upload in Python

Shows how to mock the boto3 S3 client with unit tests and wrap an upload function to return a dictionary with status details.

boto3 s3 mocking
Python
import boto3
from unittest.mock import Mock, patch

class S3Uploader:
    def __init__(self, bucket_name):
        self.bucket_name = bucket_name
        self.s3 = boto3.client("s3", region_name="us-east-1")

    def upload_file(self, local_path, s3_key):
        self.s3.upload_file(local_path, self.bucket_name, s3_ke…
12 0 Open
Cloud + Python medium

Mock CDK Synth Output in Python for Template Testing

Simulate AWS CDK synth output with MagicMock to test or preview CloudFormation templates without running a real CDK app.

aws cdk cloudformation
Python
import json
from unittest.mock import MagicMock

def mock_cdk_synth() -> dict:
    """Simulate AWS CDK synth output for a simple S3 bucket."""
    cdk_app = MagicMock()
    cdk_app.synth.return_value.template = {
        "Resources": {
            "MyBucket": {
                "Type": "AWS::S3::Bucket",
              …
12 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.