Reference library

Python Code Samples

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

196 matches
Data pipelines & processing easy

How to Validate Data in a Python Pipeline

A helper module to validate common record types — email, positive integer, and non-empty string list — before processing data in a pipeline.

data-validation pipelines type-checking
Python
from typing import Any, Iterable


def is_valid_email(email: str) -> bool:
    """Basic email check: one '@', no spaces, dot after '@'."""
    if "@" not in email or " " in email:
        return False
    local, _, domain = email.partition("@")
    return bool(local) and "." in domain


def is_positive_int(value: Any)…
13 0 Open
Data pipelines & processing easy

How to shard output by primary key hash mod N in Python

This code computes a consistent shard index for any primary key string using an MD5 hash mod the number of shards, enabling stable key-based data distribution.

hashing sharding hashlib
Python
import hashlib

def shard_id(primary_key: str, num_shards: int) -> int:
    """Return the shard index for a primary key using MD5 hash mod N."""
    digest = hashlib.md5(primary_key.encode("utf-8")).hexdigest()
    hash_int = int(digest, 16)
    return hash_int % num_shards

if __name__ == "__main__":
    keys = ["use…
12 0 Open
Git + Python medium

Find the Commit That Introduced a String in Git History Using Python

Use git log -S with Python subprocess to find the earliest commit that introduced a specific string across your repository history.

git subprocess repository
Python
import subprocess
import sys


def find_introducing_commit(repo_path: str, search_string: str, file_glob: str = "*") -> str:
    """Find the first commit that introduced a given string in a git repository."""
    result = subprocess.run(
        ["git", "-C", repo_path, "log", "--all", "--oneline", "-S", search_string…
13 0 Open
Git + Python easy

How to Run Git Commands from Python with subprocess

This helper runs `git status --short` and `git log --oneline` from Python, captures their output, and returns readable strings with error handling for non-repo directories.

git subprocess automation
Python
import subprocess


def git_status():
    """Return a short, human-readable git status."""
    try:
        output = subprocess.run(
            ["git", "status", "--short"],
            capture_output=True,
            text=True,
            check=True,
        ).stdout.strip()
        return output if output else "W…
15 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…
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…
12 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__":
   …
11 0 Open
Testing & modern typing easy

How to Convert Strings to Types in Python Using TypeVar

A beginner-friendly helper that converts a string to int, float, bool, or str with type hints and graceful failure handling.

typing type-hints conversion
Python
from typing import TypeVar, Optional

T = TypeVar("T")

def convert_data(value: str, target_type: type[T]) -> Optional[T]:
    """Convert string value to target type; return None on failure."""
    try:
        if target_type is int:
            return int(value)
        elif target_type is float:
            return f…
15 0 Open
Testing & modern typing easy

How to Parse Data with Type Hints in Python

A beginner-friendly helper that parses simple dictionary- or list-like strings into typed Python structures using modern typing annotations.

type-hints parsing typing
Python
from typing import Any, Dict, List, Union


def parse_data(raw: str) -> Union[Dict[str, Any], List[Any], str]:
    """Parse a simple string into structured data using type hints."""
    cleaned = raw.strip()
    
    if not cleaned:
        return {}
    
    if cleaned.startswith("{") and cleaned.endswith("}"):
     …
11 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]:
    "…
15 0 Open
Testing & modern typing medium

How to Test Properties with Random Inputs in Python

Write a simple property-based test in Python using random string generation to verify that string invariants like reverse-twice identity and uppercase idempotence always hold.

property-based-testing random testing
Python
import random
import string


def generate_random_string(length: int) -> str:
    """Generate a random alphanumeric string of given length."""
    chars = string.ascii_letters + string.digits
    return "".join(random.choice(chars) for _ in range(length))


def reverse_twice_is_identity(s: str) -> bool:
    """Propert…
13 0 Open
Testing & modern typing medium

How to Use Hypothesis Strategies for Lists of Text in Python

Generate random lists of non-empty strings with Hypothesis and verify that joining them with a comma-and-space separator meets expected length and containment invariants.

hypothesis property-based-testing strategies
Python
from hypothesis import given, strategies as st
from hypothesis import example


@given(st.lists(st.text(min_size=1, max_size=10), min_size=1, max_size=5))
def test_joined_string_length(items):
    """Each text is non-empty; a joined string should be at least as long
    as the number of items (separator adds character…
14 0 Open
Testing & modern typing easy

How to Use Literal Type Hints in Python

Use typing.Literal to restrict a function parameter to specific allowed string values and get static type checking.

typing type-hints literal
Python
from typing import Literal

def get_status_message(status: Literal["active", "inactive", "pending"]) -> str:
    """Return a message based on the status value."""
    if status == "active":
        return "Account is active"
    elif status == "inactive":
        return "Account is inactive"
    else:
        return "…
16 0 Open
Testing & modern typing easy

How to use Optional type hint in Python

Use the Optional type hint to indicate a parameter can be a string or None, with an example function that handles both cases.

typing optional type-hints
Python
from typing import Optional

def greet(name: Optional[str]) -> str:
    if name is None:
        return "Hello, anonymous!"
    else:
        return f"Hello, {name}!"

if __name__ == "__main__":
    print(greet("Alice"))
    print(greet(None))
12 0 Open
System design patterns easy

How to Implement a Factory Method by Type String in Python

A factory method maps a type string to a class, creating and returning the appropriate object instance while handling unknown types gracefully.

factory-pattern design-patterns oop
Python
class Animal:
    def speak(self):
        raise NotImplementedError


class Dog(Animal):
    def speak(self):
        return "Woof!"


class Cat(Animal):
    def speak(self):
        return "Meow!"


class AnimalFactory:
    @staticmethod
    def create(animal_type: str) -> Animal:
        animal_types = {
          …
15 0 Open
API design & gRPC easy

Convert Protobuf to JSON and Dict in Python

Provides static helper methods to convert between protobuf messages, JSON strings, and Python dictionaries using the google.protobuf library.

protobuf json grpc
Python
from google.protobuf.json_format import MessageToJson, Parse
import json


class DataConverter:
    """Helper class to convert between protobuf messages and common formats."""

    @staticmethod
    def to_json(message, indent=2):
        """Convert a protobuf message to JSON string."""
        return MessageToJson(me…
21 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…
14 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…
13 0 Open
API design & gRPC medium

How to Validate Request Body JSON Against a Schema in Python

Build a lightweight schema validator to check required fields, types, string lengths, allowed values, and nested objects in a JSON request body.

api-validation json schema-validation
Python
import json


def validate_against_schema(data, schema, path=""):
    errors = []

    if not isinstance(data, dict):
        errors.append(f"{path}: expected object, got {type(data).__name__}")
        return errors

    for field, rules in schema.items():
        field_path = f"{path}.{field}" if path else field

  …
17 0 Open
Streaming & messaging easy

How to Serialize and Deserialize JSON Event Payloads in Python

Define an EventPayload class with custom to_json and from_json methods to convert event objects to JSON strings and back, using datetime parsing.

json serialization datetime
Python
import json
from datetime import datetime


class EventPayload:
    def __init__(self, event_id, event_type, timestamp, data):
        self.event_id = event_id
        self.event_type = event_type
        self.timestamp = timestamp
        self.data = data

    def to_json(self):
        return json.dumps({
          …
13 0 Open
Caching & Redis easy

Cache Data in Redis with Python

A beginner-friendly Redis cache helper that stores JSON strings with a TTL and retrieves them with the redis-py client.

redis cache ttl
Python
import redis


class DataCache:
    def __init__(self, host="localhost", port=6379, db=0):
        self.client = redis.Redis(host=host, port=port, db=db, decode_responses=True)

    def cache_data(self, key, value, ttl=60):
        self.client.setex(key, ttl, value)

    def get_cached_data(self, key):
        return …
18 0 Open
Observability & SRE easy

How to Create a Deployment Environment Tag in Python

Generate a standardized deployment tag string by combining service and environment names with an f-string.

deployment observability f-string
Python
def mock_env_tag(service, environment):
    return f"{service}-{environment}"

if __name__ == "__main__":
    service = "api-gateway"
    environment = "production"
    tag = mock_env_tag(service, environment)
    print(f"Deployment tag: {tag}")
13 0 Open
Big data & Spark easy

Partition Data by Hash Key Mod N in Python

Returns a partition index for a string key by hashing it with MD5 and taking modulo N, then groups sample keys into partitions.

hashing partitioning hashlib
Python
import hashlib


def partition_key(key: str, num_partitions: int) -> int:
    """Return partition index for key using MD5 hash mod N."""
    digest = hashlib.md5(key.encode()).hexdigest()
    return int(digest, 16) % num_partitions


if __name__ == "__main__":
    keys = ["alice", "bob", "carol", "dave", "eve"]
    nu…
13 0 Open
ML engineering pipelines easy

How to Load CSV Training Data in Python Without Pandas

Load CSV training data using Python's standard library and mock it with io.StringIO for testing, returning headers and rows as dictionaries.

csv ml-pipelines io-stringio
Python
import csv
from pathlib import Path


def load_csv_training_data(file_path: str | Path) -> tuple[list[str], list[dict[str, str]]]:
    """Load CSV training data and return headers plus rows as dictionaries."""
    with open(file_path, mode="r", newline="", encoding="utf-8") as csv_file:
        reader = csv.DictReader…
15 0 Open

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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.