Automation & scripting
CLI tools, scheduled jobs, filesystem tasks, and glue scripts that save time.
How to Implement argparse CLI Command in Python
Build a beginner-friendly command-line tool with argparse that accepts positional and optional arguments, flags, and prints a customizable greeting.
import argparse
def main():
parser = argparse.ArgumentParser(description="A simple CLI tool to greet users.")
parser.add_argument("name", help="Your name")
parser.add_argument("-g", "--greeting", default="Hello", help="Greeting word (default: Hello)")
parser.add_argument("--uppercase", action="store_…How to Mock a Whisper API Transcription Stub in Python
Simulate an OpenAI Whisper-style transcription response with a dataclass request model and a mock function that returns structured audio transcription output.
import json
from dataclasses import dataclass
from typing import Optional
@dataclass
class AudioRequest:
file_path: str
language: Optional[str] = None
def to_api_payload(self) -> dict:
return {"file": self.file_path, "language": self.language}
def mock_whisper_transcribe(payload: dict) -> dict:
…How to Mock subprocess Calls in Python with unittest.mock
A Python script that wraps Vagrant up/destroy commands using subprocess, with tests that mock the subprocess call to simulate outputs and errors.
import subprocess
from unittest.mock import patch, Mock
def run_vagrant(action: str) -> str:
result = subprocess.run(
["vagrant", action],
capture_output=True,
text=True,
check=False,
)
return result.stdout.strip()
def vagrant_wrapper(action: str) -> str:
if action n…How to Monitor Domain Expiration Dates in Python
A Python script that checks domain expiration dates using the python-whois library and warns when a domain is expiring soon.
import whois
from datetime import datetime, timedelta
import time
def check_domain_expiry(domain_name):
"""Check when a domain expires and warn if soon."""
try:
w = whois.whois(domain_name)
expiry = w.expiration_date
# Handle list or single date
if isinstance(expiry, list):
…How to Parse CLI Arguments in Python with argparse
Build a beginner-friendly CLI with argparse that accepts optional --name, --greeting, and --uppercase flags, then prints a customizable greeting.
import argparse
def main():
parser = argparse.ArgumentParser(description="Greet a user with optional customization.")
parser.add_argument("--name", default="world", help="Name to greet")
parser.add_argument("--greeting", default="Hello", help="Greeting word")
parser.add_argument("--uppercase", action=…How to Perform a DNS Lookup for A Records in Python
Resolve a hostname to IPv4 A records using Python's built-in socket.getaddrinfo and return a sorted list of addresses.
import socket
def get_a_records(hostname):
"""Fetch A records (IPv4 addresses) for a given hostname."""
try:
# getaddrinfo with family AF_INET restricts to IPv4 (A records)
infos = socket.getaddrinfo(hostname, None, socket.AF_INET)
# Each info tuple: (family, type, proto, canonname, so…How to Simulate a Traceroute in Python
This Python script simulates a network traceroute by generating mock hop IPs, random delays, and a destination reach condition, useful for testing network scripts.
import random
import time
def simulate_traceroute(destination, max_hops=30):
"""Simulate a traceroute to a destination with mock hop delays."""
print(f"Traceroute to {destination} ({max_hops} hops max):")
for hop in range(1, max_hops + 1):
# Mock IP address for the hop
mock_ip = f"10.0.{ra…How to Split PDF Pages into Ranges in Python
Simulates splitting a PDF into page ranges by validating and returning structured range splits for automation workflows.
import os
def split_pdf_ranges(pdf_name, num_pages, ranges):
"""
Simulates splitting a PDF by returning the page ranges that would be split.
Args:
pdf_name (str): Name of the PDF file.
num_pages (int): Total number of pages in the PDF.
ranges (list of tuple): List of (start, end) …How to Strip EXIF Metadata from Images in Python
Remove EXIF metadata from image bytes using Pillow, with a mock JPEG generator for testing.
from PIL import Image
from PIL.ExifTags import TAGS
from io import BytesIO
import struct
def strip_exif(image_bytes, remove_metadata=True):
"""Remove EXIF metadata from image bytes."""
img = Image.open(BytesIO(image_bytes))
if remove_metadata:
# Clear all metadata
img.info.clear()
# Sa…How to Update a Hosts File to Block Distractions in Python
This script updates a local hosts file (or a demo file) by adding or updating entries to block distracting websites like Facebook and Twitter.
from pathlib import Path
def update_hosts(entries):
"""
Add or update blocking entries in the hosts file.
Uses a local demo file by default to avoid system changes.
"""
hosts_path = Path("demo_hosts.txt")
# Create demo file if it doesn't exist
if not hosts_path.exists():
hosts…How to Write an IP Block List to hosts.deny in Python
This Python script validates a list of IP addresses and CIDR ranges, then writes them to a hosts.deny file to block connections at the TCP wrapper level.
from ipaddress import ip_network
def write_hosts_deny(ip_list, output_file="hosts.deny"):
with open(output_file, "w") as f:
for ip in ip_list:
try:
ip_network(ip)
f.write(f"ALL: {ip}\n")
except ValueError:
continue
print(f"Written…How to automatically organize your Downloads folder by file type in Python
This script scans the Downloads folder and moves files into sub-folders based on their extensions (e.g., Images, Documents, Videos).
import os
import shutil
from pathlib import Path
def organize_downloads_folder(downloads_path=None):
if downloads_path is None:
downloads_path = str(Path.home() / "Downloads")
if not os.path.exists(downloads_path):
print(f"Path {downloads_path} does not exist.")
return
fi…How to generate an htpasswd bcrypt entry in Python
Create a mock htpasswd file entry with a bcrypt-hashed password for a given username using a simple Python script.
import bcrypt
def mock_htpasswd_entry(username, password):
salt = bcrypt.gensalt(rounds=12)
hashed = bcrypt.hashpw(password.encode(), salt).decode()
return f"{username}:{hashed}"
if __name__ == "__main__":
entry = mock_htpasswd_entry("demo_user", "s3cretP@ss")
print(entry)Mock a Helm Upgrade Install Command in Python
Use unittest mock to simulate a Helm upgrade --install call for testing automation scripts without a real cluster.
from unittest.mock import MagicMock, patch
class HelmClient:
def upgrade_install(self, release, chart, namespace="default"):
# Simulates the helm upgrade --install command
return f"Release {release} upgraded/installed in {namespace} using chart {chart}"
@patch("helm_client.HelmClient.upgrade_in…Mock systemctl Wrapper in Python for Service Testing
A Python class-based mock of systemctl that simulates start, stop, restart, and status operations for a service, useful for testing automation scripts.
import subprocess
import sys
class ServiceManager:
def __init__(self, service_name):
self.service_name = service_name
self.status = "inactive"
def start(self):
self.status = "active"
print(f"Starting {self.service_name}... OK")
def stop(self):
self.status …Monitor Disk Usage and Alert in Python
A Python script that checks disk usage percentage against a threshold and returns an ALERT or OK message with free space details.
import shutil
import os
def check_disk_usage(path="/", threshold=85.0):
usage = shutil.disk_usage(path)
percent_used = (usage.used / usage.total) * 100
if percent_used > threshold:
return (f"ALERT: Disk usage at {percent_used:.1f}% on {path} "
f"(exceeds {threshold}% threshold…Parse nginx access log top IPs in Python
Reads an nginx access log line by line, extracts the client IP, and returns the most frequent IPs using a regex and Counter.
import re
from collections import Counter
def top_ips(log_file, n=10):
ip_pattern = re.compile(r'^(\S+)')
ip_counts = Counter()
with open(log_file, 'r') as f:
for line in f:
match = ip_pattern.match(line)
if match:
ip_counts[match.group(1)] += 1
return…Port Scan Localhost Common Ports in Python
Scan common localhost ports (HTTP, HTTPS, SSH, FTP, and more) with a fast socket-based Python script that prints an open/closed status table.
import socket
from datetime import datetime
COMMON_PORTS = {
80: "HTTP",
443: "HTTPS",
22: "SSH",
21: "FTP",
25: "SMTP",
3306: "MySQL",
5432: "PostgreSQL"
}
def scan_port(port):
sock = socket.socket(socket.AF_INET, socket.SOCK_STREAM)
sock.settimeout(0.1)
try:
resu…Rename Files in Folder with Numeric Prefix in Python
Renames all files in a folder by adding a sequential numeric prefix (e.g., 01_, 02_) to each filename using pathlib.
from pathlib import Path
def rename_with_numeric_prefix(folder_path):
folder = Path(folder_path)
for index, file_path in enumerate(folder.iterdir(), start=1):
if file_path.is_file():
new_name = f"{index:02d}_{file_path.name}"
new_path = file_path.with_name(new_name)
…Resize Disk Partitions in Python (Mock Script)
A mock disk partition resize script that uses dataclasses to model partitions, validate new sizes, and output the updated layout as JSON.
#!/usr/bin/env python3
"""Mock script to demonstrate disk partition resize logic."""
import json
from dataclasses import dataclass
from typing import Dict
@dataclass
class Partition:
name: str
size_gb: int
mount_point: str
def to_dict(self) -> Dict[str, object]:
return {
"name": …Restore sqlite from latest backup file in Python
This script finds the most recently modified backup file in a directory and restores it to the main database path, then verifies the restored data.
import sqlite3
import glob
import os
import shutil
def restore_latest_backup(db_path, backup_dir):
backups = sorted(glob.glob(os.path.join(backup_dir, "*.db")), key=os.path.getmtime)
if not backups:
raise FileNotFoundError("No backup files found")
latest = backups[-1]
shutil.copy2(latest, db_p…Restrict Secrets File Permissions with the chmod Script in Python
This script restricts a secrets file to 0600 permissions, rotates it to a dated backup, and creates a fresh protected file for secure automation workflows.
import os
import sys
import stat
from pathlib import Path
def restrict_secrets_file(filepath: str) -> None:
"""Set restrictive permissions (0600) on a secrets file."""
path = Path(filepath).expanduser()
if not path.is_file():
raise FileNotFoundError(f"Secrets file not found: {path}")
…Stress CPU Threads with a Mock Compute in Python
Simulates CPU-intensive work across multiple threads to test how Python schedules parallel compute.
import threading
import time
def stress_cpu(iterations: int):
result = 0
for i in range(iterations):
result += i * i % 1000
return result
def run_mock_stress(thread_count: int, iterations: int):
threads = []
for tid in range(thread_count):
t = threading.Thread(target=lambda: str…Toggle VPN Mock Network Manager Script in Python
Simulate a VPN manager with connect, disconnect, toggle, and status methods for testing or demo workflows.
import time
class MockVPNManager:
def __init__(self):
self.is_connected = False
self.servers = ["us-west", "eu-central", "asia-east"]
self.active_server = None
def toggle(self):
if self.is_connected:
self.disconnect()
else:
self.connect()
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Automation & scripting — Python code examples
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