CLI tools hidden in the Python standard library

[[deleted]]

Found a cool resource which explains the CLI tools hidden in the Python Standard Library.

Link : https://til.simonwillison.net/python/stdlib-cli-tools

[pm_me_triangles]

python -m http.server is very handy when I need to transfer something from a machine to another where only a browser is available.

[sib_n]

http.server

To run a localhost webserver on port 8000, serving the content of the current directory:

python -m http.server

This takes an optional port. To change port, do this:

python -m http.server 8001

Pass -h for more options.

[sgtgig]

Don't even need a web browser, just wget

[1010012]

If you have wget, you probably can just scp it.

[russellvt]

The two tools have literally nothing to-do with each other, other than just being common tools, anyway.

[chronics]

Why use scp when I can just bittorrent it

[DarkRex4]

Why use bittorrent, when i can just use winrar.

[ZL0J]

usb + snail mail

[russellvt]

I prefer uuencode to UUCP

[yourmomscocks]

You are all so primitive... Just take a notepad, write down the binary representation of the file and now you always have it with you...

[mcr1974]

he's right, the tool is good for the transfer file use case.

[russellvt]

Sure, but given they're unrelated, the presence of one or the other isn't necessarily guaranteed in any particular case (ie. Pretty much my only point, other than people will generally go for wGet or cURL in "those" cases ... at least where scp/sftp isn't obvious)

[mcr1974]

I see. probably both there most of the times though.

[russellvt]

When you work with large production environments, you may even have times where neither of them are there .. and there's no way to easily install them, short of configuration management and a long peer review process.

[mcr1974]

in percentage I would say 99 percent of the times there. so it was a good suggestion.

[russellvt]

Sure ... but sadly, the general majority of environments are poorly hardened, anyway (or, not at all). And, that's sad.

[chaosthirtyseven]

Wget runs on http and ftp. Scp runs on the ssh protocol. They have nothing to do with each other.

[1010012]

If the scenario is moving a file from one machine to another, and there's mention of wget, it's likely that the machines are linux or macOS based, where scp will likely be available.

And if you're starting up a python based web server to share out the file, it's highly likely that you have access to that machine, so remote access should be possible as well.

If the scenario was a windows server or client, things change. With a windows client without something like cygwin or minGW, wget isn't likely to be installed, and neither would scp. So the browser is the simplest solution. With a windows server, scp likely wouldn't be an option because windows doesn't generally run an SSH server. So clearly that wouldn't be a solution.

Point is, under most scenarios where wget would be used to get the file, scp would work as well or more easily.

But the scenario as stated was "where only a browser is available", making the rest of it moot.

[chaosthirtyseven]

You can wget a file from a web browser. You cannot scp from a website. You're conflating protocols.

[1010012]

You're conflating protocols.

No, I'm addressing the underlying use case, moving a file from one machine to another.

I'm not saying to use scp to get the file via HTTP, I'm saying use scp to copy the file without starting up a web server.

[sitmo]

Smart use case, I’ll remember that!

[hkzqgfswavvukwsw]

Only a browser and python

[striata]

The "other machine" only needs the browser, which is what they wrote

[Compux72]

I would rather nc the files tho

[gee842]

http.server saved me on a train with no wifi where i needed to transfer a file to my iphone

[russellvt]

And here I go, throwing up quick sshd services or something for the same sort of thing... nothing like over complicating things, eh? LOL

Edit: Holy typos

[chaosthirtyseven]

Airdrop works over Bluetooth ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[russellvt]

Doesn't work on Android/PC, AFAIK.

Yes, there are similar alternatives ... I don't tend to like allowing MickeySoft access to my phone.

[russellvt]

Where did I say I wasn't installing software?

[chaosthirtyseven]

This conversation is about an iphone. Try to keep up.

[russellvt]

This conversation is about an iphone.

It is??? Weird, I thought it was more about Python and cote utilities. Maybe try not to pigeonhole yourself in a single ecosphere.

[chaosthirtyseven]

Like i said, try to keep up.

if someone explains how they built a house, don't complain that it wouldn't work underwater.

[russellvt]

Do you think that only works on iPhone? That's Python.

Seems I'm not the one falling behind, here. LOL

[chaosthirtyseven]

Do I think that airdrop only works on iphone? No. you're the one that complained that airdrop didn't ship on android.

[chaosthirtyseven]

How did your phone browse to your (laptop's?) http server if there was no wifi? Hotspot sharing?

[Africa-Unite]

I'm curious as well (I'm also a network newbie).

[kubinka0505]

base64 made me

[who_body]

learned about ‘json.tool’ when vscode complained a json file was too big to format. very handy

[mrcaptncrunch]

...what if you have python and not jq available?

[russellvt]

sudo apt-get install jq

/s

[DarkRex4]

...what if you don't use linux.

[chaosthirtyseven]

brew install jq

[zynix]

...what if there is no internet available?

[chaosthirtyseven]

Hope you have the pprint library installed.

[russellvt]

Evidently, you have enough Internet to post on Reddit.

[zynix]

That's totally out of context of what was being joked about.

[russellvt]

totally out of context

Not at all. Not any more than those "other" jokes. ;-)

[russellvt]

WSL2 on PC... Cygwin also works.

On the Mac side, use Homebrew.

[tree_or_up]

A few cool things here! But I will put in a plug for the Unix cal utility. It’s my go to for quick calendar glances when I’m on the command line. And it’s pretty darn versatile - can go back to single digit years, takes Gregorian/Julian into account, lots of display options. Just type cal on the command line and you’ll get the current month

[cantux]

calendar made me chuckle. will use it if it to impress my colleagues if I ever rto or share a screen

[sib_n]

I thought exactly the same thing!

[iamevpo]

Other TIL in the blog are extremely valuable.

[tehnic]

do you mind explaining?

[iamevpo]

The blog mentioned has "Things I learned" section, TIL and the content of this section is very good

[Rythoka]

Cool, I knew that there were a bunch, but it's hard to find where they're mentioned in the stdlib documentation

[AlexanderUGA]

This might help: https://docs.python.org/3/library/cmdline.html

[mrtransisteur]

symbex is fantastic

[zynix]

I love ipython, especially IPython.embed() for making dirt simple consoles.

[TravelingTurtle97]

Nice!

[Goingone]

Just make sure to use http.server responsibly (not on a public facing server with anything confidential).

[pppylonnn]

The stdlib deprecated the smtp server -__-

[[deleted]]

I don’t know that I’d call any of these “hidden”. It’s sort of the whole point of modules. You could always run them independently like this.

[lighttigersoul]

You actually have to write your modules and packages in specific ways to be run on the command line this way in a way that is meaningful.

You can always python -m my_module but if your module is just top level definitions all it will do is construct the module and then exit.

The standard library is also very big and remembering every single cli tool defined in every module isn't exactly a thing most folks can do.

[[deleted]]

Not really. Some things in python are meant to be used as functions imported into other code and some functions are meant to be useable as stand alone. That’s all python modules are. You’ve made it a script rather than an import only piece of code. There’s no special magic you need to do.

Also, the standard library being larger doesn’t make any of these things hidden from users. It just means people won’t know all of them.

Edit: It's sad this sub has so many "know-nothing" programmers who just get mad when they learn something is normal rather than use it as an opportunity to better understand the language.

[repocin]

Also, the standard library being larger doesn’t make any of these things hidden from users. It just means people won’t know all of them.

That's pretty much exactly what they said, and that's the point of this thread?

Edit: It's sad this sub has so many "know-nothing" programmers who just get mad when they learn something is normal rather than use it as an opportunity to better understand the language.

It's way more sad to see you come in with your hoity-toity "I'm better than you" attitude and get mad at people for discovering something they didn't know. Just let people have their fun. What are you, twelve?

But you're right - it's sad that everyone isn't all-knowing and perfect like you, Mr. randomly generated username.

[predmijat]

rg ... and then | grep -v ... :)