Reference library

Python Code Samples

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

11 matches
Lists & loops easy

How to Cycle Through a List Infinitely with itertools

This code uses itertools.cycle to create an infinite iterator over a list and returns the first n items from that cycle.

itertools cycle infinite iteration
Python
from itertools import cycle

def demonstrate_cycle(items, cycles=3):
    """
    Cycle through a list infinitely using itertools.cycle.
    Returns the first n items from the infinite cycle.
    """
    cycled = cycle(items)
    result = [next(cycled) for _ in range(len(items) * cycles)]
    return result

if __name__…
14 0 Open
Algorithms & data structures medium

Find the Duplicate Number in Python Using Floyd's Cycle Detection

Detects the duplicate integer in an array of n+1 numbers (values 1 to n) in O(n) time and O(1) space using Floyd's cycle detection algorithm applied to a linked-list model.

floyd-cycle duplicate-number two-pointers
Python
def find_duplicate(nums):
    slow = nums[0]
    fast = nums[0]
    
    # Phase 1: Find intersection point of the cycle
    while True:
        slow = nums[slow]
        fast = nums[nums[fast]]
        if slow == fast:
            break
    
    # Phase 2: Find the start of the cycle (the duplicate)
    slow = nums[0…
14 0 Open
Algorithms & data structures medium

How to Find Minimum Swaps to Sort an Array in Python

Calculate the minimum number of adjacent-free swaps needed to sort a permutation array using cycle detection in Python.

sorting cycles greedy
Python
def min_swaps_to_sort(arr):
    n = len(arr)
    arr_pos = sorted((val, idx) for idx, val in enumerate(arr))
    visited = [False] * n
    swaps = 0

    for i in range(n):
        if visited[i] or arr_pos[i][1] == i:
            continue

        cycle_size = 0
        j = i
        while not visited[j]:
            …
13 0 Open
Comprehensions & generators easy

Cycle an iterable forever in Python

Define a generator that repeatedly yields items from an iterable, cycling back to the beginning infinitely.

generators cycle iteration
Python
def cycle_generator(iterable):
    """Yield items from iterable forever, cycling back to the start."""
    items = list(iterable)  # Convert to list so it can restart
    index = 0
    while True:
        yield items[index]
        index = (index + 1) % len(items)


if __name__ == "__main__":
    colors = ["red", "gre…
14 0 Open
Comprehensions & generators easy

How to Repeat a Generator Cycle Single Value in Python

Build a generator that repeats a single value across multiple cycles, each cycle adding an extra repetition to mark its completion.

generators loops repeat
Python
def repeat_with_cycle(value, cycle_limit, repetitions):
    """
    Repeats a single value until reaching a cycle limit,
    then yields the value one more time to demonstrate a full cycle.
    
    Args:
        value: The single value to repeat.
        cycle_limit: Number of repetitions per cycle.
        repetitio…
13 0 Open
Automation & scripting medium

Detect Circular Imports Across Python Projects Automatically

This script walks through all .py files in a directory, builds an import graph, and uses depth-first search to find cycles—printing each circular dependency chain.

circular-imports import-graph ast
Python
import ast
import sys
from pathlib import Path
from collections import defaultdict, deque

def find_imports(filepath):
    """Return set of module names imported by a Python file."""
    imports = set()
    try:
        with open(filepath) as f:
            tree = ast.parse(f.read())
    except (SyntaxError, UnicodeDe…
38 0 Open
Modern tooling easy

How to Mock docker compose up Healthcheck in Python

Simulate docker compose up with a healthcheck cycle using Python loops, delays, and simulated service statuses.

docker healthcheck simulation
Python
import subprocess
import time

def run_healthcheck():
    """Mock a docker compose up with a healthcheck cycle."""
    services = ["web", "db", "cache"]
    
    print("Starting docker compose services...")
    for service in services:
        print(f"[{service}] starting...")
        time.sleep(0.1)
        print(f"[…
15 0 Open
Observability & SRE easy

How to Model Span Events in Python

Define a Span class with timestamped milestone events and a completion marker to track operation lifecycle.

observability dataclasses tracing
Python
import time
from dataclasses import dataclass, field
from enum import Enum
from typing import List


class SpanStatus(Enum):
    STARTED = "started"
    COMPLETED = "completed"


@dataclass
class SpanEvent:
    name: str
    timestamp: float = field(default_factory=time.time)
    attributes: dict = field(default_facto…
14 0 Open
Microservices patterns easy

How to implement round-robin load balancing in Python

Implement a client-side round-robin load balancer that distributes requests sequentially across a list of mock servers using itertools.cycle.

load balancing round robin microservices
Python
import itertools
import random


class MockServer:
    def __init__(self, name):
        self.name = name

    def handle_request(self, request_id):
        return f"Server {self.name} handled request #{request_id}"


class RoundRobinLoadBalancer:
    def __init__(self, servers):
        self.servers = servers
       …
14 0 Open
Big data & Spark medium

How to Mock a UDAF Aggregate Function in Python

This code provides a minimal mock of a User-Defined Aggregate Function (UDAF), simulating the initialize-update-merge-finalize lifecycle with a defaultdict counter.

udaf aggregate mock
Python
from collections import defaultdict

class MockUDAF:
    """A minimal mock of a User-Defined Aggregate Function.

    Simulates aggregate lifecycle: initialize, update per row,
    and finalize the result.
    """

    def __init__(self):
        self._buffer = defaultdict(int)

    def initialize(self):
        """Re…
13 0 Open
Production deployment patterns easy

How to Simulate a Packer AMI Build in Python

A simple Python class that mimics a Packer AMI build lifecycle — creates a build object, transitions its state to completed, and prints a JSON snapshot.

packer ami mock
Python
import json


class PackerBuildMock:
    def __init__(self, name, ami_id, region="us-east-1", state="pending"):
        self.name = name
        self.ami_id = ami_id
        self.region = region
        self.state = state

    def build(self):
        if self.state == "pending":
            self.state = "completed"
  …
13 0 Open

Browse by section

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.