BuildKit is a new and improved tool for building Docker images: it’s faster, has critical features missing from traditional Dockerfiles like build secrets, plus additionally useful features like cache mounting. So if you’re building Docker images, using BuildKit is in general a good idea. And then there’s Podman: Podman is a reimplemented, compatible version of the Docker CLI and API. It does not however implement all the BuildKit Dockerfile extensions. On its own, then, Podman isn’t as good as Docker […]

A diary is a personal safe space. With the help of Django, you can create a diary on your own computer without storing data in anyone else’s cloud. By following along with the project below, you’ll see how quickly you can build a functioning web app in Django without any external dependencies. In this tutorial, you’ll learn how to: Set up a Django project Work with the standard SQLite database Make use of the Django admin site Create models and […]

Summer holidays have ended, and it’s back to school again. While it was a time of leisure and getting disconnected from the virtual world for many of us, the Python maintainers and contributors have been busy working during that same period. Just in August 2021, the Python community saw three new Python releases, bringing some important security fixes, optimizations, and brand-new features. Let’s dive into the biggest Python news from the past month! Python 3.10 Is Almost Ready On August […]

With stacks, you’ll effectively see how each call in a recursive function is handled. The way each call is pushed onto the stack and popped off is exactly how the program is run, and it’ll clearly demonstrate how calculating large numbers will take a long time, if not optimized. Illustrating Visualization Using a Call Stack In a call stack, whenever a function call returns a result, a stack frame representing the function call is popped off the stack. Whenever you […]

You’ve probably found at least one blog post where the author reveals that they learned Python in a handful of days and quickly transitioned into a high-paying job. Some of these stories may be true, but they don’t help you prepare for a steady learning marathon. So, how long does it really take to learn Python, and is it worth your time investment? In this article, you’ll learn: What “learning Python” means and how you can measure your progress What […]

When you’re building a Docker image for your Python application, you’re building on top of an existing image—and there are many possible choices. There are OS images like Ubuntu, and there are the many different variants of the python base image. Which one should you use? Which one is better? There are many choices, and it may not be obvious which is the best for your situation. So to help you make a choice that fits your needs, in this […]

In this section, you’ll learn how to define a function that takes an optional argument. Functions with optional arguments offer more flexibility in how you can use them. You can call the function with or without the argument, and if there is no argument in the function call, then a default value is used. Default Values Assigned to Input Parameters You can modify the function add_item() so that the parameter quantity has a default value: # optional_params.py shopping_list = {} […]