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Python Code Samples

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

126 matches
Data pipelines & processing easy

How to create a dated snapshot path for a dataset in Python

Generate a versioned directory path combining a base directory, dataset name, and today's date, ready for creating snapshots in data pipelines.

date pathlib datasets
Python
import datetime
import os
from pathlib import Path


def snapshot_path(base_dir: str, dataset_name: str) -> Path:
    """Return a dated snapshot path for a dataset under a base directory."""
    today = datetime.date.today().isoformat()
    return Path(base_dir) / dataset_name / today


if __name__ == "__main__":
    …
15 0 Open
Git + Python easy

How to Mock git sparse-checkout Paths in Python

Simulates git sparse-checkout configuration by writing desired paths to the sparse-checkout file without running git commands.

git sparse-checkout mocking
Python
import subprocess
from pathlib import Path
import tempfile


def configure_sparse_checkout(repo_dir: Path, paths: list[str]) -> list[str]:
    """Simulate sparse checkout configuration by returning the paths that would be set."""
    sparse_checkout_file = repo_dir / ".git" / "info" / "sparse-checkout"
    sparse_chec…
10 0 Open
Git + Python easy

How to Parse git status --porcelain Output in Python

This code runs `git status --porcelain` and parses its output into a list of dictionaries with file paths and status descriptions.

git subprocess parsing
Python
import subprocess

def parse_git_status_porcelain():
    try:
        output = subprocess.check_output(
            ["git", "status", "--porcelain"], 
            text=True, 
            stderr=subprocess.DEVNULL
        )
    except (subprocess.CalledProcessError, FileNotFoundError):
        return []

    entries = …
14 0 Open
Cloud + Python easy

Create a Cloud Storage Helper Class in Python

Build a simple local file-based helper class that mimics cloud storage operations like save, load, and list JSON objects.

cloud-storage json file-io
Python
import datetime
import json
from pathlib import Path


class CloudDataHelper:
    """Simple helper for reading/writing JSON files in a cloud-style folder."""

    def __init__(self, base_dir: str = "cloud_storage"):
        self.base_dir = Path(base_dir)
        self.base_dir.mkdir(exist_ok=True)

    def save_json(se…
17 0 Open
Cloud + Python easy

Create a Data Helper Class for Beginners in Python

A simple Python class to read and write JSON and CSV files from a local directory, ideal for automating data workflows in cloud environments.

json csv file-io
Python
import json
from pathlib import Path

class DataHelper:
    """Simple helper for reading and writing common data files."""
    
    def __init__(self, directory="data"):
        self.directory = Path(directory)
        self.directory.mkdir(exist_ok=True)
    
    def save_json(self, filename, data):
        filepath =…
15 0 Open
Cloud + Python easy

How to Create a JSON Data Helper in Python

A beginner-friendly DataHelper class that safely reads and writes JSON files with timestamps to a local data directory.

json files data-helper
Python
from datetime import datetime
from pathlib import Path
import json


class DataHelper:
    """Simple helper for reading/writing JSON files safely."""

    def __init__(self, base_dir="data"):
        self.base_dir = Path(base_dir)
        self.base_dir.mkdir(exist_ok=True)

    def save(self, filename, data):
        …
13 0 Open
Cloud + Python easy

How to Design a Cloud Data Helper Class in Python

A beginner-friendly Python helper class that saves, loads, and aggregates JSON records locally, simulating cloud-style data handling.

cloud json helper
Python
import json
from pathlib import Path
from datetime import datetime


class CloudDataHelper:
    """Beginner-friendly helper for working with cloud-based JSON data."""

    def __init__(self, base_dir="cloud_data"):
        self.base_dir = Path(base_dir)
        self.base_dir.mkdir(exist_ok=True)

    def save_record(s…
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
Cloud + Python easy

Mock SSM Parameter Store Get Parameters by Path in Python

This code implements a simple mock of the AWS SSM Parameter Store get_parameters_by_path API, returning parameters under a given path with recursive and non-recursive options.

aws ssm parameter-store
Python
import json

class MockSSM:
    def __init__(self, parameters):
        self.parameters = parameters

    def get_parameters_by_path(self, path, recursive=True):
        result = []
        for key, value in self.parameters.items():
            if recursive:
                if key.startswith(path):
                   …
16 0 Open
Modern tooling easy

Data Conversion Helper Functions in Python

A set of beginner-friendly helper functions to convert between JSON strings and Python data, parse dates, and read/write files using pathlib.

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

def to_json(data, indent=2):
    """Convert Python data to pretty-printed JSON string."""
    return json.dumps(data, indent=indent, default=str)

def from_json(json_string):
    """Parse JSON string back into Python data."""
    return json.loads(jso…
14 0 Open
Modern tooling easy

How to Load and Inspect CSV Data with a Dataclass Helper in Python

This code defines a DataHelper dataclass that reads a CSV file into a list of dictionaries and prints basic dataset information.

csv dataclass pathlib
Python
from pathlib import Path
from dataclasses import dataclass
from typing import Any


@dataclass
class DataHelper:
    """Simple helper for loading and inspecting CSV data."""
    filepath: Path

    def load_csv(self, *, delimiter: str = ",") -> list[dict[str, Any]]:
        """Read CSV into a list of dictionaries."""
…
16 0 Open
Modern tooling easy

How to Load and Inspect Data Files in Python

A beginner-friendly DataLoader dataclass that loads JSON or text files and provides methods to preview and inspect the data.

dataclasses file-io json
Python
from dataclasses import dataclass, field
from pathlib import Path
import json
from typing import Any, Dict, List


@dataclass
class DataLoader:
    """Simple helper to load and inspect data files for beginners."""
    path: Path
    data: Any = field(init=False, default=None)

    def __post_init__(self) -> None:
    …
16 0 Open
Modern tooling easy

How to Load and Save CSV and JSON Files in Python

A beginner-friendly data helper that loads or saves CSV and JSON files using only the Python standard library, with automatic format detection from the file extension.

csv json file-io
Python
from pathlib import Path
import json
import csv


def load_data(file_path):
    """Load CSV or JSON data from disk based on file extension."""
    path = Path(file_path)
    if path.suffix == ".json":
        with path.open() as f:
            return json.load(f)
    elif path.suffix == ".csv":
        with path.open(…
13 0 Open
Modern tooling easy

How to Mock a pyenv Local Version File in Python

Read and write a mock .python-version file using the pathlib module and tempfile for isolated testing.

pyenv pathlib version-control
Python
import json
import tempfile
from pathlib import Path


def read_pyenv_local(directory: Path) -> str:
    """Read the .python-version file in the given directory."""
    version_file = directory / ".python-version"
    if not version_file.exists():
        return "no-version-file"
    return version_file.read_text().st…
12 0 Open
Modern tooling easy

How to Parse and Extract Nested Data in Python

Load JSON files with Path and recursively extract values by key from nested Python structures using modern typing and standard library.

json pathlib recursion
Python
import json
from pathlib import Path
from typing import Any, Dict, List, Union

def load_data(filepath: Union[str, Path]) -> Union[Dict[str, Any], List[Any]]:
    """Load JSON data from a file with modern Path handling."""
    path = Path(filepath)
    if not path.exists():
        raise FileNotFoundError(f"File not f…
12 0 Open
Modern tooling easy

How to Read the Python Path from VS Code settings.json in Python

This code loads VS Code's settings.json file and extracts the python.defaultInterpreterPath value, with a mock demonstration for testing.

vscode settings json
Python
import json
from pathlib import Path
from unittest.mock import patch

def read_vscode_python_path(settings_path: Path) -> str:
    """Extract python.defaultInterpreterPath from VS Code settings.json."""
    with open(settings_path, "r") as f:
        settings = json.load(f)
    return settings.get("python", {}).get("d…
13 0 Open
Modern tooling easy

How to Save and Load JSON Files in Python

Create a simple data helper to save Python dictionaries as pretty-printed JSON files and load them back reliably using pathlib and the stdlib json module.

json pathlib file-io
Python
import json
from pathlib import Path
from typing import Any


def save_json(data: Any, filename: str) -> None:
    """Save data as pretty-printed JSON to the current directory."""
    path = Path(filename)
    with path.open("w", encoding="utf-8") as f:
        json.dump(data, f, indent=2, ensure_ascii=False)


def lo…
11 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
Testing & modern typing easy

How to Mock pathlib Path.read_text with mock_open in Python

Mock pathlib.Path.read_text using patch and mock_open to test file-reading code without touching the filesystem.

testing mock pathlib
Python
import pathlib
from unittest.mock import mock_open, patch

def read_config(filepath: pathlib.Path) -> str:
    """Read file content with pathlib."""
    return filepath.read_text()

if __name__ == "__main__":
    mock_data = "version: 1.0\nname: demo-app"
    
    with patch("pathlib.Path.open", mock_open(read_data=mo…
14 0 Open
Testing & modern typing easy

How to Use the pytest tmp_path Fixture for Temporary Directories

Use pytest's built-in tmp_path fixture to create a unique temporary directory per test for clean file I/O testing.

pytest tmp_path fixtures
Python
import pytest


def test_write_and_read_file(tmp_path):
    # tmp_path is a pytest fixture that provides a temporary directory
    # unique to each test invocation
    data_file = tmp_path / "data.txt"
    data_file.write_text("hello world")
    assert data_file.read_text() == "hello world"


def test_multiple_tmp_pat…
15 0 Open
Testing & modern typing easy

How to Write a Fast Smoke Test for a Critical Path in Python

A quick smoke test that validates the /health critical path executes fast enough, raising errors on wrong paths or slow responses.

smoke-test performance health-check
Python
import time

def smoke_test(path):
    if path != "/health":
        raise ValueError("Critical path expected /health")
    start = time.perf_counter()
    # Simulate the critical health check work
    time.sleep(0.01)
    elapsed = time.perf_counter() - start
    if elapsed > 0.05:
        raise RuntimeError("Health …
12 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
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 Prefix Python API URIs with a Version Slug

Build a versioned API endpoint by optionally adding a version prefix like v1 to the URL path using the stdlib urllib module.

api url urllib
Python
from urllib.parse import urlparse

BASE_URL = "https://api.example.com"

def build_uri(resource, version="v1"):
    """Mock a versioned API URI with an optional v1 prefix."""
    parsed = urlparse(BASE_URL)
    prefix = f"/{version}" if version else ""
    return f"{parsed.scheme}://{parsed.netloc}{prefix}/{resource.l…
13 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.