Reference library

Python Code Samples

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

104 matches
Automation & scripting easy

How to Create a File Organizer That Sorts Files Automatically in Python

A Python script that scans a given folder, categorizes files by extension (Images, Documents, Audio, Video, Archives, Misc), and moves them into subfolders automatically.

file organization automation pathlib
Python
import os
import shutil
from pathlib import Path

FILE_CATEGORIES = {
    "Images": [".jpg", ".jpeg", ".png", ".gif", ".bmp"],
    "Documents": [".pdf", ".docx", ".txt", ".csv", ".xlsx"],
    "Audio": [".mp3", ".wav", ".flac", ".aac"],
    "Video": [".mp4", ".mkv", ".avi", ".mov"],
    "Archives": [".zip", ".tar", ".g…
45 0 Open
Automation & scripting easy

How to Perform a DNS Lookup for A Records in Python

Resolve a hostname to IPv4 A records using Python's built-in socket.getaddrinfo and return a sorted list of addresses.

dns socket network
Python
import socket

def get_a_records(hostname):
    """Fetch A records (IPv4 addresses) for a given hostname."""
    try:
        # getaddrinfo with family AF_INET restricts to IPv4 (A records)
        infos = socket.getaddrinfo(hostname, None, socket.AF_INET)
        # Each info tuple: (family, type, proto, canonname, so…
13 0 Open
Automation & scripting easy

How to Sort Command-Line Arguments in Python

Build a beginner-friendly argparse CLI that sorts numbers or words passed as arguments, with an optional reverse flag.

argparse cli sorting
Python
import argparse


def main():
    parser = argparse.ArgumentParser(description="Sort numbers or words from the command line.")
    parser.add_argument("items", nargs="+", help="Items to sort (numbers or words)")
    parser.add_argument("--reverse", "-r", action="store_true", help="Sort in descending order")
    args =…
13 0 Open
Automation & scripting medium

How to apply Kubernetes YAML files from a folder in Python

Uses the Kubernetes Python client to apply all YAML manifests in a directory, with sorted processing and per-file error handling.

kubernetes yaml automation
Python
import os
import yaml
from kubernetes import client, config
from kubernetes.utils import create_from_yaml

def apply_yaml_folder(folder_path):
    """Apply all YAML files in a folder using the Kubernetes mock client."""
    # Load mock configuration
    config.load_kube_config()
    k8s_client = client.ApiClient()

  …
12 0 Open
Data pipelines & processing easy

Create Data Helper Functions in Python for Beginners

Build reusable Python helper functions to load, filter, sort, summarize, and save JSON data — a beginner-friendly starting point for small data pipelines.

json pipeline helpers
Python
import json
from pathlib import Path
from typing import Any, Dict, List


def load_json_file(filepath: str) -> Dict[str, Any]:
    """Load JSON data from a file."""
    with Path(filepath).open("r", encoding="utf-8") as file:
        return json.load(file)


def filter_by_key(
    data: List[Dict[str, Any]], key: str,…
16 0 Open
Data pipelines & processing easy

How to Sort a List of Dictionaries by Key in Python

A reusable helper function that sorts a list of dictionaries by a specified key, with optional descending order support.

sorting dictionaries data-pipelines
Python
from typing import List

def sort_records(records: List[dict], key: str, descending: bool = False) -> List[dict]:
    """Sort a list of dictionaries by a specified key."""
    return sorted(records, key=lambda record: record[key], reverse=descending)


def demonstrate_sorting() -> None:
    users = [
        {"name": …
12 0 Open
Data pipelines & processing medium

How to Topologically Sort a DAG in Python

Compute a valid execution order for tasks with dependencies using Kahn's algorithm in Python.

dag topological-sort graph
Python
from collections import defaultdict, deque


def topological_order(dependencies):
    graph = defaultdict(list)
    in_degree = defaultdict(int)
    tasks = set(dependencies.keys())

    for task, depends_on in dependencies.items():
        for d in depends_on:
            graph[d].append(task)
            in_degree[t…
11 0 Open
Data pipelines & processing medium

Implement an Out-of-Order Sort Buffer with a Heap in Python

Buffers out-of-order indices from a stream and emits them in sorted order using a min-heap with a sliding window.

heapq sorting streaming
Python
import heapq
from collections import deque


class OutOfOrderSorter:
    def __init__(self, buffer_size):
        self.buffer_size = buffer_size
        self.buffer = deque(maxlen=buffer_size)
        self.heap = []
        self.next_expected_index = 0
        self.result = []

    def push(self, item):
        heapq.…
12 0 Open
Cloud + Python easy

How to Mock CloudFront Invalidation Paths in Python

Build a sorted, deduplicated list of CloudFront invalidation paths from a set of file paths, adding implicit index.html entries.

cloudfront aws cli
Python
import argparse

def build_invalidation_paths(files, include_index=True):
    """
    Create CloudFront invalidation paths from a list of files.
    Converts file names to root-relative paths and optionally adds /index.html.
    """
    paths = []
    for f in files:
        f = f.strip()
        if not f:
           …
16 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
Concurrency & performance medium

Build a Python Performance Profiler That Generates Readable Reports

Use cProfile and pstats to profile Python functions and print a sorted performance report showing the top time-consuming calls.

profiling cprofile pstats
Python
import cProfile
import pstats
import io
from pathlib import Path

def slow_function():
    total = 0
    for i in range(500_000):
        total += i ** 2
    return total

def fast_function():
    total = sum(i * i for i in range(500_000))
    return total

def profile_functions():
    profiler = cProfile.Profile()
  …
46 0 Open
Concurrency & performance medium

How to Profile CPU Hot Path in Python with cProfile and sort_stats cumtime

Profile a Python function's CPU usage by running cProfile, sorting stats by cumulative time, and printing a readable report to stdout.

cprofile profiling performance
Python
import cProfile
import pstats
import io


def slow_function():
    total = 0
    for i in range(100_000):
        total += i * i
    return total


def fast_function():
    return sum(i for i in range(100))


def main():
    slow_function()
    fast_function()


if __name__ == "__main__":
    profiler = cProfile.Profi…
13 0 Open
Concurrency & performance easy

How to Use bisect.insort in Python to Maintain a Sorted List

Insert items into an already sorted list using Python's bisect.insort to keep it sorted efficiently in O(n) time.

bisect sorted insertion
Python
import bisect

def maintain_sorted_list():
    data = [3, 1, 4, 1, 5, 9, 2, 6]
    sorted_list = []
    
    for num in data:
        bisect.insort(sorted_list, num)
    
    print("Original data:", data)
    print("Sorted list maintained with insort:", sorted_list)
    
    # Insert new values to maintain sorted orde…
13 0 Open
Concurrency & performance medium

Merge K Sorted Lists in Python with heapq

Merge k sorted lists into one sorted list in O(N log k) time using a min-heap of current elements.

heapq merge sorted-lists
Python
import heapq

def merge_k_sorted_lists(lists):
    heap = []
    for i, lst in enumerate(lists):
        if lst:  # only push non-empty lists
            heapq.heappush(heap, (lst[0], i, 0))
    result = []
    while heap:
        val, list_idx, elem_idx = heapq.heappop(heap)
        result.append(val)
        if elem…
13 0 Open
Testing & modern typing medium

How to Compare Execution Speed Between Python Functions

Measure and compare the average execution time of multiple Python functions using a reusable benchmark helper with time.perf_counter.

performance benchmarking time
Python
import time
import random

def method_a(values):
    """Sort using built-in sorted."""
    return sorted(values)

def method_b(values):
    """Sort using list's sort method."""
    values_copy = values[:]
    values_copy.sort()
    return values_copy

def method_c(values):
    """Sort manually using bubble sort (slow,…
38 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]:
    "…
14 0 Open
System design patterns medium

How to Implement the Strategy Pattern in Python

This Python code demonstrates the Strategy design pattern using interchangeable sorting algorithms (bubble sort and quick sort) that can be swapped at runtime.

design-pattern strategy oop
Python
class SortingStrategy:
    def sort(self, data):
        raise NotImplementedError

class BubbleSort(SortingStrategy):
    def sort(self, data):
        result = data.copy()
        n = len(result)
        for i in range(n):
            for j in range(0, n - i - 1):
                if result[j] > result[j + 1]:
      …
13 0 Open
API design & gRPC easy

Sort Python list by query param order_by

Sort a list of dataclass objects dynamically by a field name passed as a query param, with asc/desc direction support.

sorting dataclasses api
Python
from dataclasses import dataclass


@dataclass
class Item:
    name: str
    price: int


def sort_items(items, order_by, direction="asc"):
    if order_by not in ("name", "price"):
        raise ValueError(f"Unsupported sort field: {order_by}")

    reverse = direction.lower() == "desc"
    return sorted(items, key=l…
11 0 Open
Caching & Redis easy

How to Build a Redis Leaderboard with ZREVRANGE in Python

Build a sorted leaderboard by storing player scores as a Redis sorted set and reading the top scores with ZREVRANGE in Python.

redis leaderboard zrevrange
Python
import redis
import random

# Connect to local Redis (ensure Redis is running on localhost:6379)
r = redis.Redis(host="localhost", port=6379, db=0, decode_responses=True)

# Clear any existing test data
r.delete("game_scores")

# Simulate player scores
players = ["alice", "bob", "charlie", "dave", "eve"]
for player in…
12 0 Open
Caching & Redis easy

How to Use Redis ZADD and ZRANGE in Python

Add members to a Redis sorted set with ZADD and retrieve them in score order with ZRANGE in Python.

redis sorted-set zadd
Python
import redis

client = redis.Redis(host='localhost', port=6379, db=0)

client.delete('scores')

members = {'alice': 30, 'bob': 20, 'carol': 50}
for name, score in members.items():
    client.zadd('scores', {name: score})

result = client.zrange('scores', 0, -1)
print(result)
12 0 Open
Reliability & rate limiting easy

Implementing Fallback with Cached Stale Data in Python

This code demonstrates a resilient data-fetching pattern that caches successful responses, falls back to cached data when the external API fails, and returns stale data as a last-resort fallback.

cache fallback resilience
Python
import random
import time

# Simulated cache dictionary: key -> (value, timestamp)
_cache = {}
_CACHE_TTL = 3  # seconds

# Mock data source (simulates an unreliable external API)
def fetch_mock_data(key):
    failure = random.random() < 0.4  # 40% chance of failure
    if failure:
        raise ConnectionError("Mock …
14 0 Open
Observability & SRE medium

Summary Quantile Mock Sketch in Python

Build a memory-efficient sketch that stores sorted bins of data points to answer approximate quantile queries like median without keeping all values in memory.

quantile sketch statistics
Python
import random
import statistics
from collections import Counter

class SummaryQuantileSketch:
    """
    A simple sketch that stores a fixed-size summary of data (min, max, deciles)
    using sorted bins, then answers approximate quantile queries.
    """
    def __init__(self, bins=10):
        self.bins = bins
    …
13 0 Open
Microservices patterns easy

How to Order Partition Key Events in Python (Mock Stream)

Generate a mock event stream grouped by partition key and sort it deterministically by key then sequence in Python.

partition events sorting
Python
import itertools
import random


def partition_key_events(keys, events_per_key=3, seed=None):
    """Produce a realistic-looking, but mock, event stream grouped by partition key.

    Args:
        keys: iterable of partition keys (e.g. strings or ints).
        events_per_key: how many events we want per key.
       …
11 0 Open
Big data & Spark medium

How to Build a DAG Execution Stage Calculator in Python

Computes the execution stages of a directed acyclic graph (DAG) by grouping nodes that become ready simultaneously using topological sorting with Kahn's algorithm.

dag topological-sort kahn-algorithm
Python
from collections import defaultdict, deque


def get_stages(edges):
    """Return list of stages, where each stage is a list of nodes
    that become ready at the same time in a DAG."""
    graph = defaultdict(list)
    in_degree = defaultdict(int)
    nodes = set()

    for src, dst in edges:
        graph[src].appen…
15 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.