Reference library

Python Code Samples

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

81 matches
Cloud + Python easy

How to Mock Pulumi Stack Outputs in Python

Create a dict-like mock of Pulumi stack outputs for local testing and scripts without running pulumi.

pulumi mock cloud
Python
from collections import defaultdict

class StackOutputMock:
    def __init__(self, outputs: dict):
        self.outputs = dict(outputs)
    
    def export(self):
        return self.outputs
    
    def get(self, key: str, default=None):
        return self.outputs.get(key, default)
    
    def keys(self):
        r…
13 0 Open
Cloud + Python easy

How to Parse Terraform Output JSON in Python

Parse Terraform's JSON output into a flat dictionary of values using the standard library json module.

terraform json cloud
Python
import json

def parse_terraform_output(raw_output):
    """Parse Terraform JSON output into a flat dict of values."""
    try:
        data = json.loads(raw_output)
    except json.JSONDecodeError as e:
        raise ValueError(f"Invalid JSON: {e}")

    return {key: value["value"] for key, value in data.items()}


i…
11 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
Cloud + Python easy

Mock CloudWatch put_metric_data in Python

Simulate AWS CloudWatch put_metric_data with validation and formatted output for local testing without AWS.

cloudwatch aws mock
Python
import json
from datetime import datetime, timezone


def put_metric_data(namespace, metric_data_list):
    """
    Mock AWS CloudWatch put_metric_data.
    Validates and prints the metrics that would be sent.
    """
    timestamp = datetime.now(timezone.utc).isoformat()
    print(f"[MockCloudWatch] Received request …
15 0 Open
Modern tooling easy

Build a Recipe Runner Mock in Python

A Python script that mocks a command runner recipe system: maps recipe names to shell commands, executes them with subprocess, and prints the output and exit code.

subprocess command-runner recipes
Python
import subprocess
import sys


def run_recipe(recipe: str) -> None:
    """Simulate a command runner recipe by printing the command and exit code."""
    print(f"Running recipe: {recipe}")
    result = subprocess.run(recipe, shell=True, capture_output=True, text=True)
    print(f"Exit code: {result.returncode}")
    i…
15 0 Open
Modern tooling medium

How to Mock CLI Output in Typer with unittest.mock

Mock and capture Typer CLI output using unittest.mock.patch and io.StringIO for testing command-line applications.

typer cli testing
Python
import typer
from unittest.mock import patch
import io

app = typer.Typer()

@app.command()
def greet(name: str, age: int = 18, uppercase: bool = False):
    """Greet a person with optional formatting."""
    message = f"Hello {name}, age {age}"
    if uppercase:
        message = message.upper()
    typer.echo(messag…
11 0 Open
Modern tooling easy

How to Mock a pipx Install Command in Python

Simulate a pipx install step by validating tool names and printing the exact command output a real pipx run would produce.

pipx cli mocking
Python
import subprocess
import sys


def install_with_pipx(tool_name: str) -> str:
    """
    Mock a pipx install step by validating the tool name and
    simulating the installation command output.
    """
    allowed_tools = {"black", "flake8", "mypy", "ruff"}
    if tool_name not in allowed_tools:
        raise ValueErr…
15 0 Open
Modern tooling easy

How to Mock isort Output to Test Import Sorting in Python

Uses isort with check mode and a unittest mock to verify whether a Python source string has correctly sorted imports.

isort import-sorting mock
Python
import isort
from unittest.mock import patch

code = """
import os
import sys
import json
import pathlib
"""

def check_imports_sorted(code_str):
    with patch("isort.api.output") as mock_output:
        isort.code(code_str, check=True, show_diff=True)
        return mock_output.called

if __name__ == "__main__":
   …
10 0 Open
Modern tooling easy

pytest mark slow skip integration

Uses pytest markers to select fast tests, skip unfinished ones, and run integration checks with verbose output.

pytest markers testing
Python
import pytest

def test_fast():
    assert 1 + 1 == 2

@pytest.mark.slow
def test_slow():
    import time
    time.sleep(1)
    assert 5 * 5 == 25

@pytest.mark.skip(reason="Not ready for production")
def test_skipped():
    assert 2 + 2 == 5

@pytest.mark.integration
def test_integration():
    database = {"users": […
17 0 Open
Concurrency & performance medium

How to Use a Bounded Buffer with threading.Condition in Python

Implement a thread-safe bounded buffer using threading.Condition and show a producer–consumer example with exact output.

threading condition producer-consumer
Python
import threading
import time
import random

class BoundedBuffer:
    def __init__(self, capacity):
        self.capacity = capacity
        self.buffer = []
        self.condition = threading.Condition()

    def put(self, item):
        with self.condition:
            while len(self.buffer) >= self.capacity:
       …
14 0 Open
Testing & modern typing easy

Capture stdout and stderr with pytest capsys

Use pytest's capsys fixture to capture and assert on standard output and error streams in your tests.

pytest testing capture
Python
import pytest

# Function under test
def greet(name):
    print(f"Hello, {name}!")
    print(f"Error: {name} not found", file=sys.stderr)

def test_captures_stdout_and_stderr(capsys):
    greet("Alice")
    captured = capsys.readouterr()
    
    assert "Hello, Alice!" in captured.out
    assert "Error: Alice not foun…
13 0 Open
Testing & modern typing medium

Characterization Test for Legacy Python Code

Capture the exact output of a legacy Python function for known inputs, creating a characterization test that documents current behavior before refactoring.

characterization-testing legacy-code testing
Python
def legacy_behavior(value):
    """Legacy function that returns a tuple with unconventional types."""
    if value == "special":
        return None, "legacy-special"
    elif value > 100:
        return value, "large"
    elif value > 0:
        return value * 2, "positive-doubled"
    elif value == 0:
     …
15 0 Open
Testing & modern typing easy

How to Parametrize pytest Tests with Multiple Input Cases in Python

This code shows how to use pytest's @pytest.mark.parametrize decorator to run the same test function across multiple input-output combinations, checking that an add function behaves correctly for each case.

pytest parametrize testing
Python
import pytest

def add(a, b):
    return a + b


@pytest.mark.parametrize("a,b,expected", [
    (1, 2, 3),
    (5, 5, 10),
    (-1, 1, 0),
    (0, 0, 0),
    (10, -3, 7),
])
def test_add(a, b, expected):
    assert add(a, b) == expected


if __name__ == "__main__":
    pytest.main([__file__, "-v"])
14 0 Open
Testing & modern typing medium

How to Run Test Coverage with pytest-cov in Python

Run pytest with coverage reporting using pytest-cov on a temporary project and see line-by-line coverage output.

pytest coverage testing
Python
import os
import subprocess
import tempfile
from pathlib import Path


def sample_function(x: int) -> int:
    """A simple function to demonstrate coverage."""
    if x > 0:
        return x * 2
    else:
        return -x


def run_pytest_with_coverage() -> str:
    """Run pytest with coverage on a temp project and r…
14 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 = …
14 0 Open
Testing & modern typing easy

How to Test Hypotheses with Property-Based Check in Python

A Python search that checks an integer property (palindrome divisible by digit sum) and returns the first counterexample within a range, with exactly reproduced output from the code.

hypothesis testing palindrome
Python
def is_property_satisfied(n):
    """
    Demonstrates a mathematically inspired property:
    checks whether n is both a palindrome and divisible by its digit sum.
    """
    s = str(n)
    if s != s[::-1]:
        return False
    digit_sum = sum(int(d) for d in s)
    return digit_sum != 0 and n % digit_sum == 0

…
10 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)
        …
13 0 Open
Streaming & messaging easy

How to deduplicate messages by ID in Python

Track seen message IDs in a set to skip duplicate messages and store unique content in a dict, with exact output showing which messages were added or skipped.

deduplication set messaging
Python
import time

class MessageStore:
    def __init__(self):
        self.seen_ids = set()
        self.messages = {}
    
    def add(self, message_id, content, timestamp=None):
        timestamp = timestamp or time.time()
        if message_id in self.seen_ids:
            return False
        self.seen_ids.add(message_…
12 0 Open
Streaming & messaging medium

Mock Watermark Late Event Side Output in Python

Simulates watermarking in a streaming pipeline by classifying events as on-time or late using timestamps and delays.

watermark streaming side output
Python
from datetime import datetime, timedelta
from typing import List, Tuple


def watermark_mock(
    events: List[Tuple[datetime, str]], watermark_delay: timedelta, max_delay: timedelta
) -> Tuple[List[Tuple[datetime, str]], List[Tuple[datetime, str]]]:
    """Simulate watermarking: events arriving on time vs. late by ch…
11 0 Open
Observability & SRE easy

Generate Mock CPU and Memory Metrics in Python

Build a mock_host_metrics() generator that outputs realistic CPU and memory usage percentages for monitoring demos and tests.

mock metrics monitoring
Python
import time
import random


def mock_host_metrics():
    """Generate mock CPU and memory metrics for a host."""
    cpu_percent = round(random.uniform(10.0, 95.0), 1)
    memory_percent = round(random.uniform(20.0, 90.0), 1)
    memory_used_mb = round(random.uniform(512, 8192), 1)

    return {
        "timestamp": in…
16 0 Open
Observability & SRE easy

Generate Synthetic CPU Utilization Metrics in Python

Creates realistic time-series CPU utilization samples with timestamps, noise, and output as structured JSON for observability demos and testing.

observability metrics time-series
Python
from datetime import datetime, timedelta
import random
import json


def generate_metric_samples(base_value, noise, count=60, interval_minutes=1):
    """Generate realistic CPU utilization samples for a given time window."""
    timestamps = []
    values = []

    now = datetime.utcnow()
    start_time = now - timede…
14 0 Open
Observability & SRE medium

How to Build a Python Latency Histogram with Mock Buckets

This code implements a mock latency histogram that records request durations into configurable buckets and outputs counts, total, and average latency.

histogram latency metrics
Python
import time
import random
from collections import Counter


class LatencyHistogram:
    def __init__(self, buckets):
        self.buckets = sorted(buckets)
        self.counts = Counter()
        self.total = 0
        self.sum_latency = 0

    def record(self, latency_ms):
        for i, boundary in enumerate(self.bu…
13 0 Open
Observability & SRE easy

How to Do Structured JSON Logging in Python

Create a custom logging formatter that outputs each log entry as a single JSON line with timestamp, level, logger name, and message.

logging json observability
Python
import json
import logging
from datetime import datetime


class JsonFormatter(logging.Formatter):
    def format(self, record):
        log_entry = {
            "timestamp": datetime.utcnow().isoformat() + "Z",
            "level": record.levelname,
            "logger": record.name,
            "message": record.ge…
14 0 Open
Observability & SRE easy

How to Use Log Levels DEBUG INFO WARNING ERROR in Python

Demonstrates Python's logging levels (DEBUG, INFO, WARNING, ERROR) with basicConfig and a logger, showing how severity filtering controls output.

logging log-levels observability
Python
import logging

# Configure a mock logger to demonstrate log levels
logging.basicConfig(level=logging.DEBUG, format="%(levelname)s: %(message)s")
logger = logging.getLogger("mock_logger")

# Simulate events at each severity level
logger.debug("Detailed diagnostic info")
logger.info("General system operation")
logger.w…
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.