What is 30-seconds-of-python?

chalarangelo/30-seconds-of-python — explained in plain English

Analysis updated 2026-06-24

★ 8,831PythonAudience · developerComplexity · 1/5LicenseSetup · easy

Mindmap

mindmap
  root((30s of Python))
    What it is
      Short code snippets
      Common tasks
      Explained examples
    Status
      Archived May 2023
      Merged into 30soc
    Topics
      Strings and lists
      Dicts and functions
    License
      CC-BY-4.0
      Free with credit
    Audience
      Beginner coders
      Python learners

mindmap root((30s of Python)) What it is Short code snippets Common tasks Explained examples Status Archived May 2023 Merged into 30soc Topics Strings and lists Dicts and functions License CC-BY-4.0 Free with credit Audience Beginner coders Python learners

Click or tap to explore — scroll the page freely

What do people build with it?

USE CASE 1

Look up a tested Python snippet for a common task like flattening a list or chunking an array.

USE CASE 2

Copy a short code example directly into a project without writing it from scratch.

USE CASE 3

Browse Python patterns organized by topic to learn common approaches used in everyday code.

What is it built with?

Python

How does it compare?

	chalarangelo/30-seconds-of-python	ashawkey/stable-dreamfusion	garrettj403/scienceplots
Stars	8,831	8,830	8,832
Language	Python	Python	Python
Setup difficulty	easy	hard	moderate
Complexity	1/5	5/5	2/5
Audience	developer	researcher	researcher

Figures from each repo's GitHub metadata at analysis time.

How do you get it running?

Difficulty · easy Time to first run · 5min

Use and share freely with attribution, the CC-BY-4.0 license allows any use including commercial as long as you credit the source.

So what is it?

This repository was a collection of short, practical Python code snippets covering common programming tasks. Each snippet was designed to be small enough to read and understand quickly, with an explanation and examples alongside the code. As of May 2023, this repository and others in the 30-seconds family were merged into a single unified repository called 30-seconds-of-code. New activity, contributions, and updates happen there rather than here. The snippet content itself is still accessible on the project website at 30secondsofcode.org, where you can browse the Python collection, search by name or topic, and copy code directly from the page. The snippets are licensed under CC-BY-4.0, meaning they can be reused freely with attribution. This is a learning and reference resource aimed at developers who want quick examples for everyday Python tasks, not a library you install or a framework you build on.

Copy-paste prompts

Prompt 1

Give me 5 short Python utility functions for working with dictionaries, each under 10 lines, in the style of 30-seconds-of-python.

Prompt 2

Write a Python one-liner for flattening a nested list and explain how it works.

Prompt 3

Show me a Python snippet that chunks a list into groups of N items with a clear step-by-step explanation.

Prompt 4

What are the most useful Python string manipulation snippets a beginner should memorize for everyday scripting?

Frequently asked questions