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Python Code Samples

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

150 matches
Testing & modern typing easy

How to Use Union Type Hints in Python

This code demonstrates how to use Union type hints to specify that a parameter can accept multiple types (int, float, str) and handle them accordingly.

type-hints union typing
Python
from typing import Union

def process_value(value: Union[int, float, str]) -> str:
    if isinstance(value, (int, float)):
        return f"Number: {value * 2}"
    return f"String: {value.upper()}"

if __name__ == "__main__":
    print(process_value(10))
    print(process_value(3.14))
    print(process_value("hello"))
14 0 Open
Testing & modern typing easy

How to Use setUp and tearDown in Python unittest TestCase

Demonstrates how to structure unit tests with setUp and tearDown methods in Python's unittest framework for reusable test fixtures.

unittest testing setupteardown
Python
import unittest


class ExampleTest(unittest.TestCase):
    def setUp(self):
        self.data = [1, 2, 3]

    def tearDown(self):
        self.data = None

    def test_length(self):
        self.assertEqual(len(self.data), 3)

    def test_contains(self):
        self.assertIn(2, self.data)


if __name__ == "__main…
13 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…
13 0 Open
System design patterns medium

Domain Driven Design Aggregate Root Example in Python

Model an Order as an aggregate root with invariants enforced through methods, demonstrating DDD principles in Python.

ddd aggregate-root object-oriented
Python
from __future__ import annotations
from dataclasses import dataclass
from typing import List, Optional
from uuid import uuid4


class Money:
    def __init__(self, amount: float, currency: str = "USD"):
        self.amount = amount
        self.currency = currency

    def __add__(self, other: Money) -> Money:
       …
16 0 Open
System design patterns medium

Facade Pattern in Python with Mock Simplification

This code demonstrates the Facade pattern by hiding complex subsystem interactions behind a simple start/stop interface, and adds a MockFacade for testing failure scenarios.

facade-pattern design-patterns abstraction
Python
class SubsystemA:
    def operation_a(self):
        return "Subsystem A: ready"

class SubsystemB:
    def operation_b(self):
        return "Subsystem B: ready"

class SubsystemC:
    def operation_c(self):
        return "Subsystem C: ready"


class Facade:
    def __init__(self):
        self._a = SubsystemA()
   …
18 0 Open
System design patterns medium

How to Apply the Clean Architecture Dependency Rule in Python

Demonstrates the dependency rule with a Protocol repository, a use case, and a presenter wired together at a composition root.

clean-architecture dependency-inversion protocol
Python
from dataclasses import dataclass
from typing import List, Protocol

class Repository(Protocol):
    def get_items(self) -> List[str]:
        ...

@dataclass
class InMemoryRepository:
    items: List[str]

    def get_items(self) -> List[str]:
        return self.items

class UseCase:
    """Application layer depends…
13 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 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
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…
15 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")
    …
14 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
System design patterns easy

Route Messages to Handlers with a Python Dict

This code demonstrates a simple message routing pattern using a dictionary to map topic keys to handler functions, with a default handler for unmatched topics.

routing dictionary message-broker
Python
def route_message(message, routing_table):
    """Route a message to the correct handler based on the topic key."""
    topic = message.get("topic", "default")
    handler = routing_table.get(topic, routing_table.get("default"))
    return handler(message)


def handle_orders(message):
    return f"Orders handler proc…
12 0 Open
System design patterns medium

Singleton Config Loader in Python with Caution

Implements a singleton config loader in Python that reads JSON config files, but demonstrates the hidden gotcha of shared state across instances.

singleton config design-patterns
Python
import json
from pathlib import Path

class ConfigLoader:
    _instance = None

    def __new__(cls, *args, **kwargs):
        if cls._instance is None:
            cls._instance = super().__new__(cls)
        return cls._instance

    def __init__(self, config_file="config.json"):
        if not hasattr(self, "loaded…
12 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 Validate JWT Claims (exp, iss, aud) in Python

This code demonstrates how to decode and validate a JWT's essential claims—expiration (exp), issuer (iss), and audience (aud)—using the PyJWT library, returning clear error messages for common validation failures.

jwt authentication security
Python
import jwt
from datetime import datetime, timezone, timedelta

SECRET = "mock-secret"

def validate_token(token, expected_iss, expected_aud):
    try:
        decoded = jwt.decode(
            token,
            SECRET,
            algorithms=["HS256"],
            options={"require": ["exp", "iss", "aud"]},
         …
12 0 Open
Streaming & messaging medium

How to Implement At-Least-Once Delivery with Acknowledgment in Python

This code demonstrates a mock message broker with at-least-once delivery, including retry logic and acknowledgment after successful processing.

messaging queue retry
Python
import time
import uuid
from collections import deque


class MockMessageBroker:
    def __init__(self):
        self.queue = deque()
        self.acked = set()

    def publish(self, payload: str) -> str:
        msg_id = str(uuid.uuid4())
        self.queue.append((msg_id, payload))
        return msg_id

    def po…
13 0 Open
Streaming & messaging medium

How to Mock Offset Commit Auto vs Manual in Python

Demonstrates a Kafka-style offset commit function with auto/manual modes and tests it using unittest.mock.patch.

unittest mocking kafka
Python
from unittest.mock import Mock, patch

def commit_offsets(topic_partition_offsets, auto_commit=False):
    """Manually commit offsets or simulate auto-commit."""
    if auto_commit:
        print(f"Auto-committing offsets: {topic_partition_offsets}")
        return {"status": "auto_committed"}
    
    print(f"Manuall…
15 0 Open
Streaming & messaging easy

How to mock RabbitMQ queue binding with routing keys in Python

A mock demonstration of binding a queue to an exchange with multiple routing keys in RabbitMQ using Python and pika, without a real broker connection.

rabbitmq messaging pika
Python
import pika
import sys


def bind_queue_with_routing(channel, queue_name, exchange_name, routing_keys):
    """
    Mock RabbitMQ queue binding with routing keys.
    Prints the binding configuration instead of connecting to a real broker.
    """
    for routing_key in routing_keys:
        binding = {
            "q…
14 0 Open
Streaming & messaging hard

Mock Protobuf Binary Encoding in Python

Demonstrates a minimal protobuf-like binary encoding and decoding of an event dataclass using varints and length-delimited fields in pure Python.

protobuf binary-encoding varint
Python
import struct
from dataclasses import dataclass


@dataclass
class Event:
    id: int
    user_id: int
    action: str

    def encode(self) -> bytes:
        # Mock protobuf-like binary encoding using varint and length-delimited fields
        buf = bytearray()
        # field 1: varint id (tag = (1 << 3) | 0 = 8)
  …
12 0 Open
Streaming & messaging easy

Using the retained message flag in MQTT with Python

This script subscribes to an MQTT topic and prints the retained flag for each received message, demonstrating how to distinguish retained messages from normal ones.

mqtt paho-mqtt iot
Python
import paho.mqtt.client as mqtt

def on_connect(client, userdata, flags, rc):
    print(f"Connected with result code {rc}")
    # Subscribe to a topic and check retained flag
    client.subscribe("test/retained")
    print("Subscribed to test/retained")

def on_message(client, userdata, msg):
    # msg.retain is the M…
14 0 Open
Caching & Redis easy

Cache Warming with Python: Preload Hot Keys

Demonstrates a simple LRU-like cache with a warm method that preloads hot keys with mock values using OrderedDict.

caching ordereddict lru
Python
import time
from collections import OrderedDict

class CacheWarm:
    def __init__(self, capacity=3):
        self.capacity = capacity
        self.cache = OrderedDict()
        self.hot_keys = []

    def warm(self, keys):
        """Preload hot keys into cache with mock values."""
        for key in keys:
          …
18 0 Open
Caching & Redis easy

How to Invalidate a Cache in Python with lru_cache

This code demonstrates how to clear the cache of an @lru_cache decorated function in Python using cache_clear(), showing the effect on cached results.

lru_cache cache-invalidation functools
Python
from functools import lru_cache
import time

@lru_cache(maxsize=None)
def expensive_operation(key):
    return f"Computed value for {key} at {time.time():.6f}"

def invalidate_cache():
    expensive_operation.cache_clear()

if __name__ == "__main__":
    print(expensive_operation("alpha"))
    print(expensive_operatio…
13 0 Open
Caching & Redis easy

How to Use Redis HSET and HGET in Python

This code demonstrates how to store and retrieve hash data in Redis using Python's redis library with HSET, HGET, HGETALL, and HDEL commands.

redis hset hget
Python
import redis

# Connect to Redis (adjust host/port as needed)
r = redis.Redis(host='localhost', port=6379, db=0, decode_responses=True)

# Clear any existing data for demonstration
r.delete('user:1')

# HSET - Store a hash
r.hset('user:1', mapping={'name': 'Alice', 'age': 30, 'city': 'New York'})

# HGET - Retrieve a …
12 0 Open
Caching & Redis easy

How to Use lru_cache in Python for Cache-on-Miss Population

Demonstrates lru_cache to automatically populate cache on a miss and serve subsequent calls from cache, with cache info stats.

lru_cache caching functools
Python
from functools import lru_cache

@lru_cache(maxsize=None)
def fetch_user(user_id):
    """Simulates a slow database fetch."""
    print(f"Cache miss: fetching user {user_id} from database")
    return {"id": user_id, "name": f"User {user_id}"}

if __name__ == "__main__":
    user = fetch_user(1)
    print(f"First call…
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.