python-development

name	python-development
description	Covers Python 3.12+ with FastAPI, Pydantic, async patterns, pytest, SQLAlchemy, and uv toolchain. Use when building Python services, APIs, data models, or tests. Provides patterns for modern Python development. Not for schema design (use database-design), infrastructure (use infrastructure-management), or frontend code (use typescript-development).

Python Development

Modern Python 3.12+ development with FastAPI ecosystem.

Contents

• Critical Rules
• Verification
• Quick Reference
• Topics
• Stack Overview

Critical Rules

Always

• Use async def for I/O-bound operations
• Use Pydantic models for external input validation
• Use pathlib.Path for file operations
• Run mypy in CI/CD pipeline

Never

• Block the event loop with sync I/O in async code
• Use mutable default arguments (def foo(items=[]))
• Skip validation on external input
• Hardcode configuration values (use pydantic-settings)

Verification

After Editing Python Files

Type Checking:

• If mypy is available in the project, run: mypy --show-error-codes {files}
• Skip test files and migrations (they often have looser types)
• For strict mode: mypy --strict {files}

Linting:

• If ruff is available, run: ruff check {files}
• To auto-fix issues: ruff check --fix {files}
• To format: ruff format {files}

Security Scanning:

• If bandit is available, run: bandit -f txt {files}
• Review high/medium severity findings
• Common fixes: replace assert with proper error handling, use secrets module for random tokens

Testing:

• If pytest is available:
  • For specific test file: pytest {test_file} -v --tb=short
  • For related module tests: pytest tests/test_{module}/ -v
  • For full suite: pytest -v --tb=short
• Check test file structure:
  • Test functions named test_*
  • Async tests use @pytest.mark.asyncio
  • import pytest present in test files

Before Committing

• Run formatters on changed files (black/ruff format)
• Run type checker on modified source files
• Run security scanner if reviewing or doing thorough validation
• Ensure tests pass for modified code

Test Structure Validation

When writing test files, verify:

• Test functions named test_* (not just test)
• Async tests have @pytest.mark.asyncio decorator
• import pytest present in test files
• Use fixtures for setup/teardown instead of bare asserts

Quick Reference

See Stack Overview below for default technology choices.

Topics

Topic	Use For
Core	Project setup, pyproject.toml, modern Python features
FastAPI	REST APIs, routing, dependency injection, middleware
Pydantic	Data models, validation, settings management
Async	async/await, TaskGroup, context managers
Types	Type hints, mypy, Protocol, generics
Testing	pytest, fixtures, mocking, async tests
Database	SQLAlchemy 2.0, Alembic migrations, transactions
Data	Polars, ETL pipelines, schema validation
API Clients	httpx, retries, rate limiting, error handling
Deployment	Docker, logging, OpenTelemetry, health checks
Debugging	pdb, structlog, pytest debugging, remote debugging

Stack Overview

Layer	Default	Alternatives
Runtime	Python 3.12+	-
Package Manager	uv	rye, poetry
Linter/Formatter	ruff	black + flake8
Type Checker	mypy (strict)	pyright
Web Framework	FastAPI	Flask, Django
Validation	Pydantic v2	-
ORM	SQLAlchemy 2.0	-
Data Processing	Polars	Pandas
HTTP Client	httpx	aiohttp
Testing	pytest	-
Containerization	Docker	-