Reference library

Python Code Samples

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

11 matches
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
AI & LLM integration patterns medium

Circuit Breaker Pattern in Python for LLM API Calls

Implements a circuit breaker class that wraps LLM client calls to fail fast when the service is degrading, then recover automatically after a timeout.

circuit-breaker llm resilience
Python
import time

class CircuitBreaker:
    def __init__(self, failure_threshold=3, recovery_timeout=5):
        self.failure_threshold = failure_threshold
        self.recovery_timeout = recovery_timeout
        self.failure_count = 0
        self.state = "closed"
        self.last_failure_time = None

    def call(self, …
15 0 Open
Concurrency & performance medium

Graceful Shutdown Executor Context Manager in Python

A context manager that starts a background thread and ensures it stops gracefully on exit, handling timeouts and exceptions.

threading context-manager graceful-shutdown
Python
import signal
import threading
import time
from contextlib import contextmanager


@contextmanager
def graceful_shutdown_executor(timeout=5.0):
    """Context manager that runs a task and gracefully stops it on timeout or exception."""
    stop_event = threading.Event()

    def task():
        print("Task started")
 …
15 0 Open
System design patterns medium

Circuit Breaker Pattern in Python: Closed, Open, and Half-Open States

Implement a circuit breaker with closed, open, and half-open states to prevent repeated calls to failing services and allow recovery after a timeout.

circuit-breaker resilience fault-tolerance
Python
class CircuitBreaker:
    def __init__(self, failure_threshold=3, timeout_seconds=5):
        self.failure_threshold = failure_threshold
        self.timeout_seconds = timeout_seconds
        self.state = "closed"
        self.failure_count = 0
        self.last_failure_time = None

    def record_success(self):
     …
14 0 Open
System design patterns medium

How to Mock a Timeout per Dependency Call in Python

This code demonstrates how to simulate and test per-call timeouts for external dependencies using Python's unittest.mock and a simple timing wrapper.

mock timeout unittest
Python
```python
import time
from unittest.mock import Mock, patch

def call_dependency(dependency, timeout):
    start = time.time()
    result = dependency.call()
    elapsed = time.time() - start
    if elapsed > timeout:
        raise TimeoutError(f"Dependency call took {elapsed:.2f}s, exceeding timeout {timeout}s")
    …
14 0 Open
Streaming & messaging medium

How to Track Session Windows with Gap Timeout in Python

A Python class that groups events into sessions, closing a session when the gap between events exceeds a timeout threshold.

session-window streaming timeout
Python
import time

class SessionWindow:
    """Track sessions with a gap timeout (mock)."""
    
    def __init__(self, timeout_seconds=5):
        self.timeout = timeout_seconds
        self.session_start = None
        self.last_event_time = None
        self.event_count = 0
        self.events = []
    
    def add_event…
13 0 Open
Streaming & messaging medium

Implement a retry queue with visibility timeout in Python

This code simulates a message queue with a visibility timeout, allowing messages to be retried if not deleted before the timeout expires.

queue retry visibility-timeout
Python
import time
from collections import deque


class SimpleQueue:
    def __init__(self, visibility_timeout=2):
        self.queue = deque()
        self.in_flight = {}
        self.visibility_timeout = visibility_timeout

    def send(self, message):
        self.queue.append(message)

    def receive(self):
        if …
13 0 Open
Reliability & rate limiting medium

How to Implement Hedged Requests in Python

This code demonstrates a hedged request pattern using threading, which sends duplicate calls and returns the first result that arrives within a timeout.

hedged-requests threading timeout
Python
import time
from unittest.mock import Mock

def hedged_request(call, timeout=0.05):
    """Execute two duplicate calls, return first result within timeout."""
    result_container = {}

    def run_and_store():
        result_container['result'] = call()
        result_container['done'] = True

    # Simulate slow cal…
16 0 Open
Reliability & rate limiting medium

How to Mock a Circuit Breaker Reset Timeout in Python

This code implements a simple circuit breaker with a reset timeout test, simulating a flaky service to show half-open state transitions.

circuit-breaker reliability mock-testing
Python
import time
import random


class CircuitBreaker:
    def __init__(self, failure_threshold=3, reset_timeout=5):
        self.failure_threshold = failure_threshold
        self.reset_timeout = reset_timeout
        self.failure_count = 0
        self.last_failure_time = None
        self.state = "CLOSED"  # CLOSED (nor…
15 0 Open
Microservices patterns medium

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.

microservices testing timeout
Python
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)…
16 0 Open
Microservices patterns medium

How to implement a circuit breaker in Python

A Python CircuitBreaker class that tracks failures, opens after a threshold, and retries after a timeout.

circuit-breaker resilience microservices
Python
class CircuitBreaker:
    def __init__(self, failure_threshold=3, timeout=5):
        self.failure_threshold = failure_threshold
        self.timeout = timeout
        self.failure_count = 0
        self.last_failure_time = None
        self.state = "CLOSED"

    def call(self, mock_downstream):
        if self.state …
13 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.