Reference library

Python Code Samples

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

496 matches
Database scaling & optimization easy

How to Shard Data by User ID Hash in Python

Deterministically map user IDs to shard indexes using an MD5 hash modulo the shard count in Python.

sharding hashing md5
Python
import hashlib

def shard_id(user_id: str, num_shards: int = 4) -> int:
    """Deterministically map a user_id to a shard index using MD5."""
    digest = hashlib.md5(user_id.encode("utf-8")).hexdigest()
    return int(digest[:8], 16) % num_shards

if __name__ == "__main__":
    user_ids = ["alice", "bob", "carol", "d…
13 0 Open
Database scaling & optimization medium

How to Simulate Colocated Shard Joins in Python

Groups shards by their node and merges co-located shards into a single logical unit, checking capacity constraints.

sharding database distributed-systems
Python
import random
from collections import defaultdict


def simulate_colocated_shards_join(nodes: list[dict], shards: list[dict]) -> dict:
    """
    Simulates the join of co-located shards (on the same node) into a single
    logical shard. Returns the resulting node-to-shard mapping.

    Each node: {'id': str, 'capaci…
12 0 Open
Database scaling & optimization medium

How to Simulate Distributed Transactions in Python with a Mock

Model distributed transaction behavior with a mock Transaction class that supports commit, rollback, and failure simulation.

transactions mock database
Python
class Transaction:
    def __init__(self, id):
        self.id = id
        self.operations = []
        self.committed = False

    def add_operation(self, op, data):
        self.operations.append((op, data))

    def commit(self):
        if not self.operations:
            raise ValueError("No operations to commit…
14 0 Open
Database scaling & optimization medium

How to Simulate a Stable Sort Cursor in Python

Build a MongoDB-style cursor mock that stably sorts records by a key while preserving original order for ties, with next() and rewind() methods.

sorting cursors database
Python
```python
import random

class CursorStableSortMock:
    """Simulates stable sorting with a cursor-like pointer for MongoDB-style queries."""
    
    def __init__(self, data, sort_key, reverse=False):
        self.data = list(data)
        self.sort_key = sort_key
        self.reverse = reverse
        self._index = …
14 0 Open
Database scaling & optimization easy

How to Speed Up Column Lookups with DataFrame Index in Python

Use pandas set_index to make repeated column value lookups O(1)-style fast instead of scanning the whole DataFrame each time.

pandas indexing performance
Python
import pandas as pd

# Mock dataset with duplicate customer IDs
data = {"customer_id": [101, 102, 103, 101, 104, 102],
        "order_amount": [250.0, 85.5, 300.0, 175.25, 420.0, 95.75]}

df = pd.DataFrame(data)
df = df.set_index("customer_id")

# Simulated lookup request
search_id = 102

# Fast index-based lookup (no…
16 0 Open
Database scaling & optimization easy

How to Validate Data Before Scaling in Python

A reusable Python helper that validates required fields and constraint checks on data rows before entering a database pipeline, improving data quality and throughput.

validation data-quality scaling
Python
def validate_data(data, required_fields, constraints=None):
    """
    Basic validation helper demonstrating data-quality workflows
    before scaling (catches bad rows early, improves throughput).
    """
    constraints = constraints or {}

    errors = []
    for field in required_fields:
        if field not in d…
16 0 Open
Database scaling & optimization easy

How to enforce a unique index constraint in Python

Mock a database unique index in Python that rejects duplicate rows based on one or more columns.

database unique index constraint
Python
class MockIndex:
    def __init__(self, columns):
        self.columns = columns
        self._values = set()

    def insert(self, row):
        key = tuple(row[col] for col in self.columns)
        if key in self._values:
            raise ValueError(f"Duplicate key {key} for columns {self.columns}")
        self._v…
15 0 Open
Database scaling & optimization medium

How to mock batch commit of transactions in Python

Simulate a transaction batch writer with commit, rollback, and summary logic to test database write patterns without a real database.

transactions mock batch
Python
import json
from datetime import datetime, timezone

class TransactionBatch:
    def __init__(self):
        self.pending = []
        self.committed = []
        self._log = []

    def add(self, operation):
        self.pending.append(operation)

    def commit(self):
        if not self.pending:
            return …
17 0 Open
Database scaling & optimization easy

How to mock directory-based sharding in Python

Simulates distributing files into logical shards using a deterministic hash of each filename, mocking how a database might shard rows across nodes.

sharding hash partitioning
Python
import os
import hashlib
from collections import defaultdict
from pathlib import Path


def get_shard_for_key(key: str, num_shards: int) -> int:
    """Return a deterministic shard index (0..num_shards-1) for a key."""
    digest = hashlib.md5(key.encode('utf-8')).hexdigest()
    return int(digest, 16) % num_shards


…
15 0 Open
Database scaling & optimization medium

Idempotent Writes for Sharded Databases in Python

Implement a mock shard with idempotent write support using request IDs to prevent duplicate writes and track the latest value per key.

idempotency sharding distributed-systems
Python
import json


class ShardMock:
    """Mock distributed shard with idempotent write support."""

    def __init__(self, shard_id):
        self.shard_id = shard_id
        self._store = {}

    def write(self, key, value, request_id):
        """Write value only if request_id not yet processed; idempotent."""
        i…
15 0 Open
Database scaling & optimization medium

Mock CQRS Read/Write Split in Python

Separate order mutations from queries using a read model and write model to mock CQRS-style separation of concerns.

cqrs read-write dataclass
Python
from dataclasses import dataclass, field
from typing import List, Dict


@dataclass
class Order:
    id: int
    amount: float
    status: str = "pending"


class OrderWriteModel:
    """Handles all mutations (writes) to orders."""

    def __init__(self):
        self._orders: Dict[int, Order] = {}
        self._next…
13 0 Open
Database scaling & optimization easy

Monitor Database Index Bloat in Python

Simulates index bloat checks for database tables using random ratio thresholds and reports alerts per index.

database index monitoring
Python
import random
import time

class IndexBloatMonitor:
    def __init__(self, thresholds=(0.5, 0.8, 0.9)):
        self.thresholds = thresholds
        self.indices = {
            "users_pk": 48.2,
            "orders_created_idx": 124.7,
            "products_name_idx": 15.3,
            "payments_user_idx": 203.9,
   …
16 0 Open
Database scaling & optimization medium

Offset vs Keyset Pagination in Python

Demonstrate offset-based pagination and keyset (cursor) pagination with a simple in-memory dataset, showing how each returns pages of records.

pagination keyset offset
Python
"""Demonstrate pagination using offset vs keyset (cursor) approach."""

ITEMS = [
    {"id": 1, "name": "Alice"},
    {"id": 2, "name": "Bob"},
    {"id": 3, "name": "Carol"},
    {"id": 4, "name": "David"},
    {"id": 5, "name": "Eve"},
]

def offset_paginate(items, page, page_size):
    """Return a page using offset…
15 0 Open
Database scaling & optimization easy

Rebalance Shard Ranges Across Nodes in Python

A mock rebalancing function that shuffles shard ranges and distributes them evenly across nodes using round-robin assignment.

sharding rebalancing dataclass
Python
import random
from dataclasses import dataclass

@dataclass
class Shard:
    id: int
    start: int
    end: int

def rebalance_shards(shards: list[Shard], node_count: int) -> dict[int, list[Shard]]:
    """Mock rebalancing of shard ranges across nodes."""
    all_ranges = [(s.start, s.end) for s in shards]
    random…
12 0 Open
Database scaling & optimization easy

Route SELECT Queries to Read Replicas in Python

A mock round-robin router that forwards SELECT queries to read replicas and sends writes to the primary.

database replication routing
Python
import random

class ReadReplicaRouter:
    """Round-robin router that sends SELECT queries to read replicas."""
    
    def __init__(self, replicas):
        self.replicas = replicas
        self.counter = 0
    
    def route(self, sql):
        if sql.strip().upper().startswith("SELECT"):
            replica = sel…
14 0 Open
Database scaling & optimization easy

Simulate PostgreSQL Vacuum to Reclaim Space in Python

A Python class that safely rewrites a data file to remove deleted rows and reclaim physical space, mimicking PostgreSQL's VACUUM operation.

vacuum file-management database
Python
import shutil
import os

class VacuumCleaner:
    """Simulates PostgreSQL-style vacuum reclaiming dead space in a file."""
    
    def __init__(self, filepath, fill_ratio=0.7, dead_marker="[DELETED]"):
        self.filepath = filepath
        self.fill_ratio = fill_ratio
        self.dead_marker = dead_marker
    
  …
14 0 Open
Database scaling & optimization medium

Simulate Shard Key Cardinality in Python

Generate mock data with configurable cardinality to evaluate shard key distribution and detect hotspots in database scaling design.

sharding cardinality database
Python
import random
import string

def calculate_cardinality(values):
    """Return the number of distinct values in the given list."""
    return len(set(values))

def generate_mock_data(num_records, cardinality):
    """Generate mock records for a shard key with given cardinality."""
    possible_keys = [f"key_{i:04d}" fo…
18 0 Open
Database scaling & optimization easy

UUID vs sequential primary key in Python

Simulate and compare UUID vs sequential primary key generation in Python to understand trade-offs in ordering and uniqueness.

uuid primary-key database
Python
import uuid
import time

def create_record_with_uuid(name):
    record_id = uuid.uuid4()
    return {"id": record_id, "name": name}

def create_record_with_sequential_id(name, counter):
    counter += 1
    return {"id": counter, "name": name}

if __name__ == "__main__":
    # Simulate users inserting records
    sequ…
15 0 Open
Auth & security at scale medium

AES GCM encryption and decryption in Python

Encrypt and decrypt data with AES-256-GCM using the cryptography library, including nonce generation and authenticated roundtrip verification.

aes-gcm cryptography encryption
Python
import os
from cryptography.hazmat.primitives.ciphers.aead import AESGCM

def aes_gcm_demo():
    plaintext = b"confidential message"
    key = AESGCM.generate_key(bit_length=256)
    aesgcm = AESGCM(key)
    nonce = os.urandom(12)
    
    ciphertext = aesgcm.encrypt(nonce, plaintext, None)
    decrypted = aesgcm.dec…
21 0 Open
Auth & security at scale medium

How to Hash Passwords and Authenticate Users in Python

A beginner-friendly dataclass-based design that hashes passwords with PBKDF2 and verifies them securely using constant-time comparisons.

security password hashing pbkdf2
Python
import hashlib
import hmac
import secrets
from dataclasses import dataclass
from typing import Optional


@dataclass
class User:
    id: int
    username: str
    password_hash: str
    salt: str


def hash_password(password: str) -> tuple[str, str]:
    salt = secrets.token_hex(16)
    password_hash = hashlib.pbkdf2_…
17 0 Open
Auth & security at scale medium

How to Implement a Vault Dynamic Database Credentials Mock in Python

A Python dataclass-based mock of HashiCorp Vault that issues short-lived database credentials, tracks leases, and revokes them, demonstrating dynamic secrets rotation.

vault secrets database
Python
import time
import json
from dataclasses import dataclass, field
from typing import Dict


@dataclass
class DynamicCredential:
    username: str
    password: str
    lease_duration: int
    created_at: float = field(default_factory=time.time)

    def is_valid(self) -> bool:
        return time.time() - self.created_…
17 0 Open
Auth & security at scale medium

How to Mock KMS Envelope Encryption in Python

Demonstrates a minimal mock of AWS KMS envelope encryption flow with AES-GCM data key wrapping and unwrapping.

kms encryption aes-gcm
Python
import base64
import json
import os
import hashlib


class MockKMS:
    """Minimal mock of AWS KMS envelope encryption flow."""

    def generate_data_key(self):
        # Simulate KMS returning a plaintext and encrypted data key
        plaintext_key = os.urandom(32)
        encrypted_key = hashlib.sha256(plaintext_k…
14 0 Open
Production deployment patterns easy

Design a Data Helper for Beginners in Python

Build a beginner-friendly DataHelper class that loads, saves, appends, and summarizes JSON data with atomic file writes.

json class pathlib
Python
import json
from datetime import datetime
from pathlib import Path


class DataHelper:
    """A beginner-friendly helper for common data operations."""

    def __init__(self, data=None, filepath=None):
        self.data = data if data is not None else []
        self.filepath = Path(filepath) if filepath else None

 …
16 0 Open
Production deployment patterns easy

How to Build a Data Helper for Production Deployment in Python

Build a reusable DataHelper class that loads configs, validates required keys, normalizes string values, and logs schema details — a production-ready data processing pattern.

json pathlib data-processing
Python
import json
from pathlib import Path
from typing import Any, Dict

class DataHelper:
    """Common data processing patterns for production deployment."""
    
    def __init__(self, config_path: str | Path):
        self.config_path = Path(config_path)
        self.config = self._load_config()
    
    def _load_confi…
15 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.