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Python Code Samples

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

24 matches
Functions & basics easy

How to Load a .env File Manually in Python

Parse a .env-style key-value file into a Python dictionary using only the standard library, with comment and quoted-value handling.

dotenv environment-variables file-parsing
Python
import re
from pathlib import Path


def load_dotenv_file(filepath: str) -> dict[str, str]:
    """Parse a .env-style file into a dictionary."""
    env = {}
    path = Path(filepath)

    if not path.exists():
        raise FileNotFoundError(f"Environment file not found: {filepath}")

    for line in path.read_text()…
13 0 Open
Functions & basics easy

How to Read Environment Variables in Python with Default Values

Retrieve an environment variable safely using os.getenv() with a fallback default when the variable is missing.

environment-variables os configuration
Python
import os

database_url = os.getenv("DATABASE_URL", "postgresql://localhost:5432/mydb")
print(f"Database URL: {database_url}")
10 0 Open
Errors & debugging easy

How to Debug Print Behind a DEBUG Environment Flag in Python

Create a debug_print function that only outputs when the DEBUG environment variable is set to a truthy value like 1, true, yes, or on.

debugging environment-variables logging
Python
import os


def debug_print(*args, **kwargs):
    """Print only when DEBUG environment variable is set to a truthy value."""
    if os.environ.get("DEBUG", "").lower() in ("1", "true", "yes", "on"):
        print(*args, **kwargs)


if __name__ == "__main__":
    # Example usage: run as `DEBUG=1 python script.py` to se…
11 0 Open
Files & data medium

How to Audit Environment Variable Files for Missing Values in Python

A Python tool that reads an environment variable file and reports any variables with empty or missing values.

environment-variables file-audit configuration
Python
import os
import re
from pathlib import Path

def audit_env_file(filepath: str) -> None:
    """
    Audit an environment variable file for missing values.
    Prints file status and lists variables that have empty values.
    """
    path = Path(filepath)
    if not path.exists():
        print(f"Error: File '{filepa…
40 0 Open
Files & data easy

How to Merge Environment-Specific Config JSON in Python

Loads a base JSON config and overlays environment-specific overrides, merging the two dictionaries into one final config.

json config pathlib
Python
import json
import pathlib


def load_config(base_path: pathlib.Path, env: str) -> dict:
    base_config = json.loads(base_path.read_text())
    env_path = base_path.with_name(f"config.{env}.json")
    if env_path.exists():
        env_config = json.loads(env_path.read_text())
        return {**base_config, **env_conf…
14 0 Open
Dictionaries & sets easy

Parse Env Vars into Typed Dict in Python

Convert a list of environment variable names into a dictionary with automatically detected types (bool, int, float, or string), defaulting missing vars to None.

env-vars type-conversion dict
Python
import os
from typing import Any, Dict


def parse_env_vars(env_names: list[str], env: Dict[str, str] | None = None) -> Dict[str, Any]:
    """Parse a list of environment variable names into a typed dict.

    Each variable is parsed as:
    - bool: "true"/"false" (case-insensitive)
    - int: if it can be converted t…
13 0 Open
AI & LLM integration patterns easy

How to Build an Agent Loop with Plan, Act, Observe in Python

Implements a simple plan-act-observe loop that an AI agent uses to iteratively complete a task in an environment while storing observations in memory.

agents loop llm
Python
class Agent:
    def __init__(self, name):
        self.name = name
        self.memory = {}

    def plan(self, task):
        return f"Plan for {task}: step 1, step 2, step 3"

    def act(self, plan, environment):
        return f"Executing {plan} in {environment}"

    def observe(self, action_result):
        sel…
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 =…
13 0 Open
Modern tooling easy

How to Export a Conda Environment YAML File in Python

Generate a mock conda environment YAML export with a reusable Python function and the PyYAML library.

conda yaml environment
Python
import yaml


def conda_env_mock(name="demo_env", channels=None, packages=None):
    channels = channels or ["defaults"]
    packages = packages or [
        "python=3.11",
        "pip",
        "numpy=1.24.3",
        "pandas=2.0.3",
    ]
    env_dict = {
        "name": name,
        "channels": channels,
        …
17 0 Open
Modern tooling easy

How to Load envrc Files in Python

Parse and apply direnv-style envrc files to the current environment, with proper handling of variables, comments, and quotes.

envrc environment config
Python
import os
import tempfile
from pathlib import Path
from unittest.mock import patch


def load_envrc(envrc_path):
    """Parse an envrc-style file and apply it to the current environment."""
    env_changes = {}
    with open(envrc_path, "r") as f:
        for line in f:
            line = line.strip()
            if l…
15 0 Open
Modern tooling easy

How to build a tox multi-env matrix with mock config in Python

Simulate a tox multi-environment matrix by validating environment names and grouping extras into a readable matrix structure.

tox ci matrix
Python
```python
import tox

def run_tox_matrix(mock_envs):
    """Simulate a tox multi-env configuration and verify mock choices."""
    config = {
        "tox": {
            "envlist": mock_envs,
            "config": {
                "basepython": "python3.9",
                "deps": ["pytest", "mock"],
            },
…
13 0 Open
Testing & modern typing easy

Dependency Injection in Python for Testability

Inject a config dependency into a service so you can swap a real environment-based config for a fake one in tests.

dependency-injection testing mocking
Python
import os


class Config:
    """Simple config loader that can be easily faked in tests."""
    def get(self, key, default=None):
        return os.environ.get(key, default)


class UserService:
    def __init__(self, config):
        self.config = config

    def get_timeout(self):
        return int(self.config.get(…
16 0 Open
Testing & modern typing medium

How to Run an Integration Test with Docker Compose Mock in Python

Run a Python integration test against a docker-compose environment, using mocks to simulate service health and business logic responses.

docker integration-testing mocking
Python
import subprocess
import json
from typing import Dict

def run_integration_test() -> Dict[str, str]:
    """
    Simulates an integration test against a docker-compose environment
    using a mock service that returns canned responses.
    """
    # Mock docker-compose environment check
    env_ready = subprocess.run(…
15 0 Open
Testing & modern typing easy

How to Test Environment Variables with pytest monkeypatch in Python

Shows how to use pytest's monkeypatch fixture to set and delete environment variables for isolated tests.

pytest monkeypatch environment variables
Python
import os
import pytest

def get_database_url():
    return os.getenv("DATABASE_URL", "postgres://default")

def test_database_url_with_env(monkeypatch):
    monkeypatch.setenv("DATABASE_URL", "postgres://test-db")
    assert get_database_url() == "postgres://test-db"

def test_database_url_default(monkeypatch):
    m…
12 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
Microservices patterns easy

How to Check an External Gateway vs Use an Internal Mock in Python

This code checks whether an external network gateway is reachable using ping, then falls back to a deterministic internal mock for testing environments.

network-check mock microservices
Python
import subprocess
import sys

def check_external_gateway():
    """True if we can reach an external network target."""
    try:
        subprocess.run(
            ["ping", "-c", "1", "-W", "2", "8.8.8.8"],
            capture_output=True,
            timeout=3,
            check=True,
        )
        return True
  …
14 0 Open
Big data & Spark easy

How to Mock Hive Support in PySpark with unittest.mock

This code demonstrates how to mock Hive support in a PySpark environment using unittest.mock to simulate SQL queries returning fixed data.

pyspark hive mock
Python
from unittest.mock import Mock, patch


def get_hive_tables(spark):
    """Mock Hive support by returning a fixed list of tables."""
    return spark.sql("SHOW TABLES").collect()


class HiveTable:
    """Simple class that mimics a Hive table row."""
    def __init__(self, database, tableName):
        self.database =…
14 0 Open
Auth & security at scale medium

How to Mock Environment Variables in Python

A context manager that injects and restores environment variables for isolated testing of config-dependent code.

env vars context manager testing
Python
import os

class EnvInjector:
    def __init__(self, mock_vars=None):
        self.mock_vars = mock_vars or {}
        self.original = {}

    def __enter__(self):
        for key, value in self.mock_vars.items():
            if key in os.environ:
                self.original[key] = os.environ[key]
            os.env…
14 0 Open
Auth & security at scale medium

How to Mock Environment Variables in Python for 12-Factor Config

Read 12-factor config from env vars and test/mock them with unittest.mock.patch.dict without touching the real environment.

environment-variables 12-factor testing
Python
import os
import json
from unittest.mock import patch

def load_config(env_prefix="APP"):
    """Read 12-factor style config from env vars"""
    required = ["DATABASE_URL", "API_KEY"]
    optional = {"PORT": "8080", "DEBUG": "false"}
    
    config = {}
    for key in required:
        full_key = f"{env_prefix}_{key…
13 0 Open
Production deployment patterns easy

How to Implement a Data Helper Class in Python for Production Deployments

Build an environment-aware data helper in Python that loads config, extracts, transforms, and reports on JSON data using small, testable functions.

data-helper production json
Python
"""Production-style data helper for beginners.

Demonstrates:
- environment-aware config
- central data extraction
- small, testable functions
"""

import os
import json
from pathlib import Path
from typing import List, Dict, Any


def load_config(env: str = os.getenv("APP_ENV", "development")) -> Dict[str, Any]:
    …
12 0 Open
Production deployment patterns easy

How to Merge Helm Chart Values Per Environment in Python

Merge default Helm chart values with environment-specific overrides using a recursive dictionary merge function, then write each environment's YAML file.

helm merge yaml
Python
from pathlib import Path
import json
import tempfile


DEFAULT_VALUES = {
    "image": "nginx:latest",
    "replicas": 1,
    "resources": {"cpu": "100m", "memory": "128Mi"},
}

ENV_OVERRIDES = {
    "dev": {"replicas": 1, "resources": {"cpu": "50m"}},
    "staging": {"replicas": 2, "resources": {"cpu": "250m", "memor…
11 0 Open
Production deployment patterns medium

How to Simulate Blue-Green Deployment Switch in Python

A mock Blue-Green deployment class that deploys new versions to an inactive environment, runs a health check, switches traffic, and supports rollback in Python.

deployment blue-green mock
Python
import random
import time

class BlueGreenDeployment:
    def __init__(self, initial_env="blue"):
        self.environments = {"blue": "v1.0", "green": "v1.0"}
        self.active_env = initial_env
        self.running = True

    def deploy_new_version(self, version, target_env):
        if target_env == self.active_…
16 0 Open
Production deployment patterns easy

How to simulate a database migration init container mock in Python

A mock init container that runs environment checks and a staged database migration job before the main application starts, printing progress to stdout.

init-container migration simulation
Python
```python
class MigrationJob:
    def __init__(self, name, steps):
        self.name = name
        self.steps = steps
        self.current_step = 0
        self.status = "pending"

    def run(self):
        print(f"Initializing migration job: {self.name}")
        for step in self.steps:
            self.current_ste…
15 0 Open
Production deployment patterns medium

Mock ConfigMap Mount Environment Variables in Python

Simulate reading environment variables from a Kubernetes ConfigMap-mounted directory and test it with mocks.

kubernetes configmap mocking
Python
import os
import tempfile
from unittest.mock import patch

def load_config_from_mount(mount_path):
    """Simulate reading environment variables from a ConfigMap-mounted directory."""
    config = {}
    for filename in os.listdir(mount_path):
        file_path = os.path.join(mount_path, filename)
        if os.path.i…
14 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.