Automation & scripting
CLI tools, scheduled jobs, filesystem tasks, and glue scripts that save time.
Check Service Ping Status and Exit Code in Python
Ping a list of hosts, print OK/FAIL per host, and exit with a non-zero code when any host is unreachable.
import subprocess
import sys
SERVICES = [
"8.8.8.8",
"1.1.1.1",
"invalid-host",
]
def main():
failed = []
for host in SERVICES:
result = subprocess.run(
["ping", "-c", "1", "-W", "2", host],
stdout=subprocess.DEVNULL,
stderr=subprocess.DEVNULL,
…Generate Random Fake User Data for Testing in Python
This code generates a list of fake user dictionaries with random names, emails, ages, and timestamps using the Python standard library for testing purposes.
import json
import random
import string
from datetime import datetime, timedelta
def generate_user_data(num_users=1):
first_names = ["Alice", "Bob", "Charlie", "Diana", "Eve"]
last_names = ["Smith", "Johnson", "Brown", "Taylor", "Wilson"]
domains = ["example.com", "test.org", "demo.net"]
users = …Generate a Monthly Report CSV from Log Files in Python
Reads a CSV log file, filters events by a given month, aggregates daily event counts and revenue, and writes a summarized monthly report to a new CSV.
import csv
from collections import defaultdict
from datetime import datetime
def generate_monthly_report(log_file: str, month: str, output_file: str) -> None:
events_by_date = defaultdict(int)
revenue_by_date = defaultdict(float)
with open(log_file, 'r') as f:
for line in f:
date_…How to Build an argparse CLI That Filters File Lines by Keyword in Python
This Python script is a command-line tool built with argparse that reads a text file and prints only the lines that contain (or don't contain) a given keyword.
import argparse
import sys
def main():
parser = argparse.ArgumentParser(description="Filter lines from a file by keyword.")
parser.add_argument("input", type=str, help="File to read")
parser.add_argument("keyword", type=str, help="Keyword to filter lines")
parser.add_argument("--contains", action="sto…How to Compress a Folder in Python While Preserving Directory Structure
A Python function that uses zipfile to recursively compress a folder, maintaining the original directory hierarchy inside the zip archive.
import os
import zipfile
from pathlib import Path
def compress_folder(source_dir: str, output_zip: str):
"""
Compress a folder into a zip file, preserving the directory structure.
Args:
source_dir: Path to the source directory to compress
output_zip: Path for the output zip file
"…How to Filter Docker Containers for Pruning in Python
Simulate Docker's container prune by filtering a JSON list for exited containers older than a cutoff, returning pruned IDs and space freed.
import json
from datetime import datetime, timedelta
def parse_docker_ps(json_output: str, older_than_hours: int = 24) -> list:
containers = json.loads(json_output)
cutoff = datetime.now() - timedelta(hours=older_than_hours)
return [
c for c in containers
if datetime.fromisoformat(c["crea…How to Generate Thumbnails While Maintaining Aspect Ratio in Python
Resize images to fit within maximum dimensions while preserving the original aspect ratio using Pillow (PIL).
from PIL import Image
def thumbnail_with_aspect_ratio(image_path, output_path, max_width, max_height):
with Image.open(image_path) as img:
# Get original dimensions
width, height = img.size
# Calculate scaling ratio to fit within max dimensions
ratio = min(max_width / width, max_h…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 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 Scan Files Against a Malware Hash List in Python
Compare a file's SHA-256 hash against a known malware hash set and report whether it's clean or infected.
import hashlib
from pathlib import Path
# Mock file content (in real usage, read from disk)
MOCK_FILE_CONTENT = b"print('hello world')"
KNOWN_MALWARE_HASHES = {
"8d969eef6ecad3c29a3a629280e686cf0c3f5d5a86aff3ca12020c923adc6c92",
"5e884898da28047151d0e56f8dc6292773603d0d6aabbdd62a11ef721d1542d8",
}
def sha25…How to Tail and Colorize Error Lines in Python
Reads the last N lines of a log file and prints error lines in red using ANSI color codes.
import sys
import time
from pathlib import Path
def tail_colorize(filename: str, lines: int = 20) -> None:
"""Read last N lines of a file, printing errors in red."""
path = Path(filename)
if not path.exists():
print(f"File '{filename}' not found.", file=sys.stderr)
return
# Read last …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 WHOIS Data with Python Regex
Extract domain registration fields from a mock WHOIS record using regex and compute days until expiration.
import re
from datetime import datetime
def parse_whois(whois_text: str) -> dict:
"""Extract key registration fields from a mock WHOIS record."""
patterns = {
"domain": r"Domain Name:\s*(.+)",
"registrar": r"Registrar:\s*(.+)",
"creation_date": r"Creation Date:\s*(.+)",
"expir…Pin Python package versions in requirements.txt
Pin package versions in requirements.txt-style text by adding ==version when no specifier is present, while preserving existing version constraints and comments.
import re
from pathlib import Path
def pin_versions(requirements_text: str) -> str:
"""
Pin package versions in requirements.txt-style text.
Adds ==version if no version specifier is present.
Keeps existing specifiers (>=, <=, ~=, etc.) unchanged.
"""
lines = requirements_text.strip().splitli…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…Run pytest and email summary in Python
Runs pytest via subprocess, extracts the test summary line, and sends it in an email (mocked for demonstration).
import smtplib
import subprocess
from email.mime.text import MIMEText
from email.mime.multipart import MIMEMultipart
def run_tests():
"""Run pytest and capture the summary output."""
result = subprocess.run(
["pytest", "-q"],
capture_output=True,
text=True
)
return result.stdo…Schedule Daily Task in Python
Use the schedule library to queue a daily task at a fixed time, then simulate a loop that checks for pending jobs.
import schedule
import time
from datetime import datetime
def daily_task():
print(f"Task executed at {datetime.now().strftime('%Y-%m-%d %H:%M:%S')}")
schedule.every().day.at("10:30").do(daily_task)
if __name__ == "__main__":
for _ in range(3):
schedule.run_pending()
time.sleep(1)Browse by section
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Automation & scripting — Python code examples
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