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Python Code Samples

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

141 matches
System design patterns easy

Builder pattern for mocking complex objects in Python

Use a fluent Builder to construct realistic mock objects with defaults, enabling readable test data setup.

builder-pattern mock-data testing
Python
class User:
    def __init__(self):
        self.name = "default"
        self.age = 0
        self.email = "unknown@example.com"
        self.address = "unknown"

    def __repr__(self):
        return f"User(name={self.name!r}, age={self.age}, email={self.email!r}, address={self.address!r})"


class UserBuilder:
   …
16 0 Open
System design patterns easy

How to Aggregate Mock API Routes by Method in Python

Groups mock API routes by path and method, collecting response bodies and counts into a nested dictionary structure.

defaultdict api-gateway aggregation
Python
from collections import defaultdict


def aggregate_mock_routes(routes):
    """Aggregate mock API routes by method and aggregate their response bodies."""
    aggregated = defaultdict(lambda: defaultdict(list))

    for route in routes:
        method = route["method"]
        path = route["path"]
        response = …
13 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",
     …
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…
12 0 Open
System design patterns easy

How to Mock the Ambassador Pattern Retry Client in Python

This code demonstrates the ambassador pattern for API clients by simulating a flaky request and retrying with exponential backoff, useful for testing resilience in system design.

retry ambassador-pattern mock
Python
import time
import random


class RetryingClient:
    """Retry wrapper simulating a flaky ambassador-style API client."""

    def __init__(self, max_attempts=3, base_delay=0.1):
        self.max_attempts = max_attempts
        self.base_delay = base_delay
        self.attempts = 0

    def _flaky_request(self):
     …
15 0 Open
API design & gRPC medium

Build a Bulk Array POST Mock Server in Python

Creates an HTTP mock server that accepts POST requests with a JSON array and returns incremental IDs for each item.

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

class MockHandler(BaseHTTPRequestHandler):
    def do_POST(self):
        if urlparse(self.path).path != "/bulk":
            self.send_response(404)
            self.end_headers()
            return

        cont…
16 0 Open
API design & gRPC medium

Build a Mock REST API with PUT and GET in Python

A minimal mock REST server implementing idempotent PUT for resource replacement and GET for retrieval, built with Python's http.server module.

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

mock_db = {}

class MockAPIHandler(BaseHTTPRequestHandler):
    def do_PUT(self):
        parsed = urlparse(self.path)
        resource_id = parsed.path.strip("/").split("/")[-1]
        content_length = int(self.…
15 0 Open
API design & gRPC easy

Create a Data Helper in Python for gRPC-style APIs

This code builds a simple DataHelper class that mimics gRPC request/response handling with in-memory storage, JSON serialization, and basic CRUD operations for beginners.

dataclasses grpc api-design
Python
import json
from dataclasses import dataclass, asdict
from typing import Dict, Any


@dataclass
class User:
    user_id: int
    name: str
    email: str


class DataHelper:
    """Simple helper to demonstrate gRPC-like data handling for beginners."""

    def __init__(self) -> None:
        self._users: Dict[int, Use…
15 0 Open
API design & gRPC easy

Generate an OpenAPI Spec from Mock Routes in Python

This Python script generates an OpenAPI 3.0 specification from a simple mock routes dictionary, mapping each HTTP method to response examples.

openapi api-docs api-design
Python
import json
from pathlib import Path


def generate_openapi_spec(routes: dict, title: str = "Mock API", version: str = "1.0.0") -> dict:
    paths = {}
    for route, methods in routes.items():
        path_item = {}
        for method, response_data in methods.items():
            method = method.lower()
            …
15 0 Open
API design & gRPC easy

How to Add HATEOAS Links to a Python API Response

Build a Python API resource class that adds self and next HATEOAS links to JSON responses, with a mock example for pagination.

hateoas api-design rest
Python
import json


class Resource:
    def __init__(self, name, data, next_page=None):
        self.links = {"self": f"/api/resources/{name}"}
        if next_page is not None:
            self.links["next"] = f"/api/resources?page={next_page}"
        self.data = data

    def to_dict(self):
        return {"links": self.…
13 0 Open
API design & gRPC easy

How to Add a Correlation ID Tracing Header in Python

A mock middleware generates or preserves a correlation ID header and logs structured JSON messages with it for API request tracing.

correlation-id tracing middleware
Python
import uuid
import json
from dataclasses import dataclass, field
from typing import Optional

@dataclass
class Request:
    headers: dict = field(default_factory=dict)

    def get(self, key, default=None):
        return self.headers.get(key, default)

class CorrelationIdMiddleware:
    def __init__(self, header_name…
16 0 Open
API design & gRPC medium

How to Build Cursor Pagination with Next and Prev Tokens in Python

A minimal cursor pagination implementation that returns next and previous cursor tokens for navigating a dataset.

pagination cursor api
Python
from pprint import pprint


def make_cursor(page):
    return f"page:{page:04d}"


def parse_cursor(cursor):
    _, page = cursor.split(":", 1)
    return int(page)


def paginate(all_items, page_size, cursor=None):
    start = parse_cursor(cursor) if cursor else 0
    end = start + page_size
    items = all_items[sta…
15 0 Open
API design & gRPC medium

How to Build a Hypermedia Collection Resource in Python

Creates a paginated hypermedia collection resource with HATEOAS links and embedded items.

hateoas hal pagination
Python
import json
import math


class HypermediaCollection:
    """A mock hypermedia collection resource."""

    def __init__(self, items, base_url="/api/items"):
        self.items = items
        self.base_url = base_url

    def to_dict(self, page=1, per_page=3):
        total = len(self.items)
        pages = math.ceil…
14 0 Open
API design & gRPC medium

How to Build a Mock REST GET Endpoint Handler in Python

Create a lightweight mock REST GET server in Python using the standard library, with a dict-based route registry that maps paths to handler functions and returns JSON responses with proper HTTP status codes.

mock-server rest-api http
Python
from http.server import BaseHTTPRequestHandler, HTTPServer
import json

# Mock API handler registry
def handle_users():
    return {"status": "ok", "data": [{"id": 1, "name": "Alice"}, {"id": 2, "name": "Bob"}]}

def handle_products():
    return {"status": "ok", "data": [{"id": 101, "name": "Laptop", "price": 999.99}…
14 0 Open
API design & gRPC easy

How to Build a Simple Data Helper in Python for API Design

Create a beginner-friendly DataHelper class that demonstrates basic CRUD operations (add, get, list, remove) using an in-memory dictionary, ideal for learning API design concepts.

api-design data-structures crud
Python
class DataHelper:
    """Simple data helper for beginners learning API design concepts."""
    
    def __init__(self):
        self._data = {}
    
    def add_record(self, key, value):
        """Add a record to the store."""
        self._data[key] = value
        return f"Added: {key} -> {value}"
    
    def get_…
12 0 Open
API design & gRPC easy

How to Build a Simple Filter Helper in Python for API Design

Create a reusable data filter service with dataclasses that mimics gRPC request/response patterns for filtering dataset records.

filtering dataclasses grpc
Python
from dataclasses import dataclass, field
from typing import List, Optional, Dict, Any


@dataclass
class FilterRequest:
    """A simple filter request mirroring a gRPC message structure."""
    field_name: str
    operator: str  # eq, ne, gt, lt, contains
    value: Any
    page_size: int = 10
    page_token: Optional…
13 0 Open
API design & gRPC easy

How to Build a Simple gRPC-Style Data Service in Python

Create a beginner-friendly gRPC-style service with dataclasses to simulate GetUser and CreateUser RPCs.

grpc dataclasses api-design
Python
from dataclasses import dataclass
from typing import Optional


@dataclass
class User:
    id: int
    name: str
    email: str


class UserService:
    """Simple gRPC-style service contract for beginner learners."""

    def get_user(self, user_id: int) -> Optional[User]:
        """Simulated gRPC GetUser RPC."""
   …
13 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")
…
14 0 Open
API design & gRPC easy

How to Create an RFC 7807 Error JSON in Python

Construct a structured error response using the RFC 7807 Problem Details format with a reusable function.

rfc7807 json error-handling
Python
import json
from typing import Dict


def create_rfc7807_error(
    type_: str,
    title: str,
    status: int,
    detail: str,
    instance: str,
    extra_fields: Dict[str, object] | None = None,
) -> str:
    """
    Build a JSON string following RFC 7807 Problem Details format.
    """
    problem = {
        "t…
14 0 Open
API design & gRPC easy

How to Decode Basic Auth Credentials in Python

Decode username and password from a Basic Auth header string using base64 and standard string operations.

base64 authentication api
Python
import base64

def decode_basic_auth(header_value):
    """
    Decode credentials from a Basic Auth header value.
    
    Expected format: "Basic base64encoded(username:password)"
    Returns a tuple (username, password).
    """
    if not header_value.startswith("Basic "):
        raise ValueError("Invalid Basic A…
13 0 Open
API design & gRPC easy

How to Expand Related Resources with a Mock Embed in Python

Simulate API response embedding by attaching mock embedded data to each related resource in a list using a simple Python class.

api embed mock
Python
import json

class EmbedMock:
    def __init__(self, resources):
        self.resources = resources

    def expand(self):
        for resource in self.resources:
            resource["embedded"] = self._generate_embed()

    def _generate_embed(self):
        return {
            "id": 1,
            "type": "mock",
…
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…
12 0 Open
API design & gRPC medium

How to Handle Retry-After Header in Python

Parse the Retry-After header from rate-limited API responses and implement retry logic with proper delays in Python.

retry-after api rate-limiting
Python
```python
import time
from datetime import datetime, timedelta


class RetryAfterHandler:
    def __init__(self, max_retries=3):
        self.max_retries = max_retries

    def get_retry_after_seconds(self, response_headers):
        retry_after_value = response_headers.get("Retry-After")
        if retry_after_value …
14 0 Open
API design & gRPC medium

How to Implement Content Negotiation with JSON and XML in Python

Build an HTTP server that returns JSON or XML responses based on the client's Accept header, with a 406 response for unsupported formats.

http-server content-negotiation json
Python
import json
import xml.etree.ElementTree as ET
from http.server import BaseHTTPRequestHandler, HTTPServer


class RequestHandler(BaseHTTPRequestHandler):
    def do_GET(self):
        data = {"message": "Hello, world!"}
        accept_header = self.headers.get("Accept", "")

        if "application/json" in accept_hea…
11 0 Open

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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.