Reference library

Python Code Samples

Copy-ready Python snippets by topic and difficulty — short, focused, and runnable in the browser editor.

424 matches
Concurrency & performance medium

asyncio Condition wait notify pattern in Python

Coordinate coroutines with asyncio.Condition: workers wait for notifications and the main task notifies one or all of them.

asyncio concurrency synchronization
Python
import asyncio


async def worker(condition, name):
    async with condition:
        print(f"{name} waiting...")
        await condition.wait()
        print(f"{name} notified!")


async def main():
    condition = asyncio.Condition()
    tasks = [asyncio.create_task(worker(condition, f"worker-{i}")) for i in range(3…
15 0 Open
Testing & modern typing medium

How to Mock an Object Method in Python unittest

Mock a method on an instance or class with @patch.object, set its return value, and assert its call arguments in Python unittest.

unittest mock patch
Python
import unittest
from unittest.mock import patch

class Calculator:
    def add(self, a, b):
        return a + b
    
    def multiply(self, a, b):
        return a * b

class TestCalculator(unittest.TestCase):
    def test_add_normal(self):
        calc = Calculator()
        result = calc.add(2, 3)
        self.asse…
15 0 Open
Testing & modern typing medium

How to Mock and Stub API Calls in Playwright E2E Tests with Python

This code demonstrates how to mock and stub API responses in Playwright end-to-end tests using Python's unittest.mock patch and Playwright's APIRequestContext.

playwright e2e-testing mocking
Python
import re
from unittest.mock import patch
from playwright.sync_api import sync_playwright

def verify_api_mock(page, mock_url, mock_response):
    with patch("playwright.sync_api.APIRequestContext.get") as mock_get:
        mock_get.return_value.json.return_value = mock_response
        mock_get.return_value.status_co…
15 0 Open
Testing & modern typing easy

How to Mock requests.get in Python

Mock requests.get with unittest.mock to test code that makes HTTP calls without hitting the network.

mocking requests unit-testing
Python
import requests
from unittest.mock import Mock, patch

def fetch_user_data(user_id):
    response = requests.get(f"https://api.example.com/users/{user_id}")
    return response.json()

def process_user(user_id):
    mock_response = Mock()
    mock_response.json.return_value = {"id": user_id, "name": "Alice", "age": 30…
13 0 Open
Testing & modern typing medium

How to Snapshot Test JSON with Mock in Python

Use pytest-snapshot to capture the exact output of a JSON-loading function, with and without mocking json.loads, so future changes are automatically detected.

pytest snapshot mock
Python
import json
from unittest.mock import Mock, patch
import pytest


def load_config(data):
    config = json.loads(data)
    return {"host": config["host"], "port": config["port"]}


def test_load_config_snapshot(snapshot):
    mock_data = json.dumps({"host": "localhost", "port": 8080, "extra": "ignored"})
    result = …
15 0 Open
Testing & modern typing easy

How to Sort Data in Python

Sort sequences with type-safe helpers that handle mixed data with a string fallback.

sorting typing protocol
Python
from typing import Any, TypeVar, Protocol, Sequence, Iterable

T = TypeVar("T")
Comparable = TypeVar("Comparable", bound="Comparable")

class Sortable(Protocol):
    def __lt__(self, other: Any) -> bool: ...

S = TypeVar("S", bound=Sortable)

def sort_data(data: Sequence[S], *, reverse: bool = False) -> list[S]:
    "…
15 0 Open
Testing & modern typing easy

How to Use Literal Type Hints in Python

Use typing.Literal to restrict a function parameter to specific allowed string values and get static type checking.

typing type-hints literal
Python
from typing import Literal

def get_status_message(status: Literal["active", "inactive", "pending"]) -> str:
    """Return a message based on the status value."""
    if status == "active":
        return "Account is active"
    elif status == "inactive":
        return "Account is inactive"
    else:
        return "…
16 0 Open
Testing & modern typing easy

How to Use mock.assert_called_with in Python

Verify that a MagicMock received a call with specific positional and keyword arguments using assert_called_with in unittest.

unittest mock testing
Python
import unittest
from unittest.mock import MagicMock

class TestMockAssertions(unittest.TestCase):
    def test_assert_called_with(self):
        # Create a mock object
        mock = MagicMock()

        # Call the mock with specific arguments
        mock.send_email("alice@example.com", subject="Greetings", body="Hel…
15 0 Open
Testing & modern typing easy

How to Verify Formatted Output with an Approval Test in Python

Write a small Python approval test that verifies a function's exact formatted output using unittest.

approval-testing unittest formatting
Python
import sys
from io import StringIO
import unittest

def generate_output(name, score):
    return f"Player: {name} | Score: {score:03d}"

class TestFormattedOutput(unittest.TestCase):
    def test_output_format(self):
        expected = "Player: Alice | Score: 042"
        result = generate_output("Alice", 42)
        …
14 0 Open
Testing & modern typing easy

How to freeze time in Python tests with freezegun

Use the freezegun decorator to freeze datetime.now() at a fixed timestamp so tests that depend on current time run deterministically.

freezegun datetime testing
Python
from datetime import datetime
from freezegun import freeze_time


@freeze_time("2024-01-15 12:30:00")
def test_frozen_time():
    now = datetime.now()
    return now


if __name__ == "__main__":
    result = test_frozen_time()
    print(result)
16 0 Open
Testing & modern typing easy

How to use unittest mock side_effect with a sequence in Python

Demonstrates using Mock.side_effect with a list to return different values per call and raise an exception at a specific call in unittest.

unittest mock side_effect
Python
import unittest
from unittest.mock import Mock

class TestMockSideEffectSequence(unittest.TestCase):
    def test_side_effect_sequence(self):
        mock = Mock()
        mock.side_effect = [1, 2, 3, Exception("boom")]
        
        self.assertEqual(mock(), 1)
        self.assertEqual(mock(), 2)
        self.asser…
14 0 Open
Testing & modern typing easy

Interface Segregation with Fake Test Implementations in Python

Defines segregated abstract interfaces (Printer, Scanner) and uses a FakePrinter to record calls for unit testing without real resources.

abc interface-segregation testing
Python
from abc import ABC, abstractmethod


class Printer(ABC):
    @abstractmethod
    def print_document(self, doc: str) -> str:
        pass


class Scanner(ABC):
    @abstractmethod
    def scan_document(self) -> str:
        pass


class MultiFunctionPrinter(Printer, Scanner):
    def print_document(self, doc: str) -> …
14 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):
     …
17 0 Open
System design patterns medium

How to Build a Sidecar Logging Proxy in Python

Wrap any object with a proxy that transparently logs every method call, arguments, return value, and execution time to a file — mimicking a sidecar pattern.

proxy logging sidecar
Python
import logging
import time
from datetime import datetime


class LoggingProxy:
    """Sidecar-style proxy that logs all calls to a wrapped object."""

    def __init__(self, target, log_file="proxy.log"):
        self._target = target
        logging.basicConfig(
            filename=log_file,
            level=loggin…
16 0 Open
System design patterns medium

How to Build an Adapter to Translate External API Responses in Python

Build an adapter class that translates a mock external API's response shape into your internal representation, keeping callers decoupled from the external contract.

adapter-pattern api architecture
Python
import json
from typing import Dict, Any


class ExternalAPI:
    """Mock external service returning a different data shape."""
    def get_user(self, user_id: int) -> Dict[str, Any]:
        return {
            "id": user_id,
            "full_name": "Jane Doe",
            "email_address": "jane@example.com",
     …
15 0 Open
System design patterns medium

How to Implement Retry with Exponential Backoff and Jitter in Python

This code demonstrates a retry mechanism with exponential backoff and optional full jitter, using a flaky mock network call for testing.

retry backoff jitter
Python
import random
import time


def retry_with_backoff(func, max_attempts=5, base_delay=0.1, jitter=True):
    """
    Retry a function with exponential backoff and optional full jitter.
    """
    for attempt in range(max_attempts):
        try:
            return func()
        except Exception as e:
            if att…
14 0 Open
System design patterns medium

How to Migrate a Legacy Facade with the Strangler Fig Pattern in Python

Use a facade to wrap a legacy API and incrementally migrate callers to a modern interface, following the strangler fig pattern.

facade legacy migration
Python
class LegacyAPI:
    """Simulates the legacy system's raw interface."""
    def get_user(self, user_id):
        return {"id": user_id, "name": "Alice", "legacy": True}


class UserService:
    """Facade that wraps the legacy system with a modern interface."""
    def __init__(self, legacy_api=None):
        self.lega…
13 0 Open
System design patterns easy

How to Mock a Metrics Decorator in Python with unittest.mock

This code demonstrates a timing decorator that wraps a function to measure execution time and prints the duration, with a unit test using unittest.mock to patch the print function and assert it was called.

decorators unittest.mock metrics
Python
import time
from functools import wraps
from unittest.mock import patch

def add_metrics(func):
    @wraps(func)
    def wrapper(*args, **kwargs):
        start = time.perf_counter()
        result = func(*args, **kwargs)
        elapsed = time.perf_counter() - start
        print(f"{func.__name__} took {elapsed:.6f}s…
16 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")
    …
15 0 Open
System design patterns easy

How to Take Periodic Snapshots of Aggregate State in Python

Build a Python class that accumulates values and periodically captures immutable snapshots of total, count, and average for later analysis.

aggregation snapshots state-management
Python
import time
import random
from collections import defaultdict


class SnapshotAggregator:
    def __init__(self):
        self.total = 0
        self.count = 0
        self.history = []

    def add(self, value):
        self.total += value
        self.count += 1

    def snapshot(self):
        avg = self.total / se…
14 0 Open
System design patterns medium

How to implement stale-while-revalidate caching in Python

A Python cache wrapper that returns a stale cached value with a fallback flag when the upstream fetch fails, using TTL-based freshness checks.

caching ttl resilience
Python
import time
from functools import lru_cache


class CachedService:
    def __init__(self, fetch_func, ttl=5):
        self.fetch_func = fetch_func
        self.ttl = ttl
        self._cache = {}
        self._timestamp = {}

    def get(self, key):
        now = time.time()
        if key in self._cache and now - self…
12 0 Open
System design patterns medium

Lazy loading with a proxy in Python: defer expensive service creation

A lazy proxy defers creating an expensive service object until its method is first called, then caches it for reuse.

proxy lazy-loading design-patterns
Python
import time
import random


class ExpensiveService:
    def __init__(self, name):
        self.name = name
        print(f"Creating expensive service: {self.name}")

    def fetch_data(self):
        time.sleep(1)
        return f"Data from {self.name}: {random.randint(1, 100)}"


class LazyProxy:
    def __init__(sel…
16 0 Open
API design & gRPC medium

How to Build an Idempotency-Key POST Handler in Python

Python HTTP server mock that accepts POST requests and deduplicates them using an Idempotency-Key header, returning the same response for repeated calls.

http-server idempotency api-mock
Python
import hashlib
import json
from http.server import BaseHTTPRequestHandler, HTTPServer
from urllib.parse import urlparse


class MockAPI(BaseHTTPRequestHandler):
    responses = {}

    def do_POST(self):
        length = int(self.headers.get("Content-Length", 0))
        body = self.rfile.read(length).decode("utf-8")
…
15 0 Open
API design & gRPC medium

How to Filter Query Parameters by Operator in Python

Parse a URL query string and keep only parameters with allowed comparison operators like eq, gt, and lt.

query-parsing url api
Python
from urllib.parse import urlparse, parse_qs

def filter_operators(query_string, allowed=("eq", "gt", "lt")):
    parsed = urlparse(query_string)
    params = parse_qs(parsed.query)
    filtered = {}
    for key, values in params.items():
        if "__" in key:
            field, op = key.rsplit("__", 1)
            i…
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.