pydantic


Data validation

Data Validation with Pydantic

What is Data Validation?

Data validation ensures that the data you work with meets certain rules and requirements. It helps you catch errors early on to prevent problems in your program.

Pydantic's Data Validation

Pydantic is a Python library that helps you automatically validate data against a schema.

Basic Data Types

Simplified Explanation:

  • Type Annotations: Tell Pydantic what type of data each field should hold (e.g., string, integer, list).

  • Default Values: Optional values if the field is not provided when creating the data object.

Code Example:

from pydantic import BaseModel

class Person(BaseModel):
    name: str  # Name as a string
    age: int = 18  # Age as an integer with a default of 18

Field Constraints

Simplified Explanation:

  • Minimum/Maximum Values: Set boundaries for numerical values.

  • Regular Expressions: Check if data matches a specific pattern (e.g., email format).

  • Enums: Restrict data to a predefined set of values.

Code Example:

from pydantic import BaseModel

class Person(BaseModel):
    age: int = 18
    min_age = 10  # Age must be greater than or equal to 10
    max_age = 120  # Age must be less than or equal to 120

Nested Models

Simplified Explanation:

  • Embedded Models: Define complex data structures by combining simpler models.

  • Nested Field Constraints: Apply constraints to fields within nested models.

Code Example:

from pydantic import BaseModel

class Address:
    street: str
    city: str

class Person(BaseModel):
    name: str
    address: Address

Data Conversions

Simplified Explanation:

  • Custom Conversions: Define how to convert raw data into a desired format.

  • Custom Serialization: Control how data is converted to JSON or other formats.

Code Example:

from pydantic import BaseModel, Field

class Measurement(BaseModel):
    value: float
    unit: str = "cm"  # Default unit

    @Field(alias="imperial")
    def convert_to_inches(self):
        return self.value * 2.54

Real-World Applications

  • Web API Input Validation: Ensure that user input meets criteria (e.g., valid email, required fields).

  • Database Models: Enforce data integrity and prevent invalid data from being stored.

  • Configuration Files: Validate user-provided configuration options to avoid errors during program execution.

  • Data Migration: Check the validity of data transferred between systems.


Data parsing

Data Parsing

1. Data Model Definition:

  • Imagine you have a box full of toys. To organize them, you need to know what type of toys you have (e.g., cars, dolls, blocks).

  • Similarly, in data parsing, you define a data model that describes the structure of the data you want to parse.

  • Pydantic helps you define these models using Python classes with @dataclasses.dataclass and type hints.

2. Field Validation:

  • When you put toys into the box, some might not fit or be broken.

  • Similarly, when parsing data, you need to validate the data to ensure it meets the expected format.

  • Pydantic has built-in field validators that check for things like required fields, data types, and ranges.

3. Data Conversion:

  • Some toys may need to be converted to fit in the box, such as transforming a toy car from blue to red.

  • Data conversion is similar. Pydantic can convert data types, such as converting a string to a number or a date.

4. Model Creation:

  • Once you have parsed and validated the data, you can create a Python object that represents the data model you defined.

  • This object holds the parsed data and can be used in your program.

5. Error Handling:

  • If there are any errors during parsing or validation, Pydantic will generate an error message.

  • This helps you quickly identify and fix any issues with the data.

Example:

Defining a Data Model:

from pydantic import BaseModel

class Toy(BaseModel):
    name: str
    type: str
    color: str

Parsing and Validating Data:

data = {
    "name": "Teddy Bear",
    "type": "Doll",
    "color": "Brown"
}

toy = Toy(**data)  # Parses and validates the data

Using the Parsed Data:

print(toy.name)  # Output: "Teddy Bear"

Potential Applications:

  • Validating data from forms or APIs

  • Converting data between different formats

  • Creating structured data objects from unstructured sources


Data modeling

Data Modeling

Data modeling is the process of representing data in a way that makes it easy to understand, analyze, and manipulate. In Python, the pydantic library provides a powerful tool for data modeling.


Creating Data Models

Data models in pydantic are defined using Python classes. The following code defines a simple data model for a user:

from pydantic import BaseModel

class User(BaseModel):
    username: str
    email: str

This model defines two fields: username and email, both of which must be strings.


Validating Data

Pydantic automatically validates data against the defined model. This ensures that data is always in the expected format and values. For example, the following code attempts to create a User object that violates the data model:

user = User(username=123, email="example.com")

This will raise a ValidationError because the username field is not a string.


Parsing Data

Pydantic can also parse data from different sources, such as JSON or XML. This makes it easy to work with data that is stored in external files or databases. The following code parses JSON data into a User object:

import json

json_data = """
{
    "username": "johndoe",
    "email": "john.doe@example.com"
}
"""

user = User.parse_raw(json_data)

The parse_raw() method will automatically validate the data and create a User object if the data is valid.


Real-World Applications

Data modeling with pydantic has many applications in the real world, such as:

  • Data validation: Ensuring that data meets certain requirements before it is stored or processed.

  • Data transformation: Converting data from one format to another, such as JSON to Python objects.

  • Data serialization: Storing data in a persistent format, such as JSON or XML.

  • Data exchange: Sharing data between different systems or applications.


Data serialization


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Data conversion

Data Conversion in Pydantic

Pydantic is a Python library that helps validate and convert data from one type to another. This is useful for ensuring that your data is in the correct format and type for your application.

Basic Data Conversion

By default, Pydantic will convert data to the type specified in the model. For example, the following model defines a field called age that must be an integer:

from pydantic import BaseModel

class Person(BaseModel):
    name: str
    age: int

If you create an instance of this model and pass a string value for age, Pydantic will automatically convert it to an integer:

person = Person(name="John", age="30")
assert person.age == 30

Custom Data Conversion

You can also define custom data conversion functions for your models. This is useful if you need to convert data to a specific format or type that is not supported by Pydantic by default.

To define a custom data conversion function, you can use the convert_values decorator. The following example defines a custom data conversion function that converts a string to a list of integers:

from pydantic import BaseModel, convert_values

@convert_values
def convert_to_list(v):
    if isinstance(v, str):
        return [int(x) for x in v.split(",")]
    return v

class Person(BaseModel):
    numbers: list[int] = convert_to_list

With this model, you can pass a string of integers separated by commas, and Pydantic will automatically convert it to a list of integers:

person = Person(numbers="1,2,3")
assert person.numbers == [1, 2, 3]

Real-World Applications

Data conversion is essential in many real-world applications. Here are a few examples:

  • API request validation: Pydantic can be used to validate API request data, ensuring that it is in the correct format and type.

  • Data cleaning: Pydantic can be used to clean and transform data from different sources, ensuring that it is consistent and usable.

  • Data integration: Pydantic can be used to integrate data from different systems and databases, ensuring that it is compatible and interoperable.

Further Reading

For more information on data conversion in Pydantic, refer to the following resources:


Data classes

Data classes

Data classes are a feature of Python that allow you to create a class that automatically handles the creation of the attributes and methods needed to represent data. This can make it much easier to create complex data structures, as you don't need to write out all of the boilerplate code yourself.

To create a data class, you simply use the @dataclass decorator before the class definition. For example:

from dataclasses import dataclass

@dataclass
class Person:
    name: str
    age: int

This code will create a data class called Person. This class will have two attributes: name and age.

You can then create instances of this class by passing values to the constructor. For example:

>>> person = Person("John", 30)

This code will create a Person instance with the name "John" and the age 30.

Data classes have a number of advantages over traditional classes. First, they are more concise. This is because you don't need to write out all of the boilerplate code yourself. Second, they are more robust. This is because the data class constructor will automatically check the types of the values that you pass to it.

Data classes are a powerful tool that can make it much easier to create complex data structures. They are especially useful for representing data that is structured in a consistent way.

Applications of data classes

Data classes can be used in a variety of applications. Here are a few examples:

  • Modeling data in databases. Data classes can be used to represent the entities and relationships in a database. This can make it easier to write code that interacts with the database.

  • Representing data in RESTful APIs. Data classes can be used to represent the data that is exchanged between a RESTful API client and server. This can make it easier to write code that consumes and produces RESTful APIs.

  • Creating configuration objects. Data classes can be used to create configuration objects that store the settings for an application. This can make it easier to manage the configuration of an application.

Examples

Here are a few examples of how to use data classes:

  • Representing data in a database

from dataclasses import dataclass

@dataclass
class Person:
    id: int
    name: str
    age: int

This data class can be used to represent the data in a database table called people. The id attribute will be the primary key of the table, and the name and age attributes will be the other columns in the table.

  • Representing data in a RESTful API

from dataclasses import dataclass

@dataclass
class PersonResponse:
    id: int
    name: str
    age: int

This data class can be used to represent the data that is returned by a RESTful API that gets the details of a person. The id attribute will be the ID of the person, the name attribute will be the name of the person, and the age attribute will be the age of the person.

  • Creating configuration objects

from dataclasses import dataclass

@dataclass
class Config:
    host: str
    port: int
    timeout: int

This data class can be used to store the configuration settings for an application. The host attribute will be the hostname of the server that the application is running on, the port attribute will be the port number that the application is running on, and the timeout attribute will be the timeout value for the application.


Type validation

Type Validation with Pydantic

Imagine you have a form that collects user information, like name and email. You want to make sure that the information provided is valid. Pydantic can help you with that.

Creating a Data Model

First, you define a data model that describes the expected input. Here's an example:

from pydantic import BaseModel

class User(BaseModel):
    name: str
    email: str

This model says that a user has a name and an email address.

Validating Input

Now, you can use Pydantic to validate input against your data model. Here's how:

data = {
    "name": "John",
    "email": "john@example.com"
}

user = User(**data)

Pydantic checks if the provided data matches the model's schema. If everything is valid, it creates a User object. If not, it raises an error.

Field Validation

You can also specify custom validation rules for each field. For example, to ensure that the email address is valid:

from pydantic import BaseModel
from pydantic.validators import email_validator

class User(BaseModel):
    name: str
    email: str = Field(..., validators=[email_validator])

Real-World Applications

Pydantic's type validation is useful in many scenarios:

  • Data Validation: Ensure that input data matches expected formats.

  • API Request Parsing: Validate incoming API requests against predefined schemas.

  • Data Serialization: Convert data into a desired format while ensuring its validity.


Type coercion

Type Coercion

Imagine you have a function that expects a number as input, but you accidentally pass in a string instead. Type coercion is the process of automatically converting the string to a number so that the function can still run properly.

Fields

Pydantic has dedicated fields for type coercion:

  • parse_float: Converts a string to a float (e.g., "1.23" -> 1.23).

  • parse_int: Converts a string to an integer (e.g., "123" -> 123).

  • parse_bool: Converts a string to a boolean (e.g., "True" -> True, "False" -> False).

  • parse_datetime: Converts a string to a datetime (e.g., "2023-03-08T12:34:56" -> datetime object).

Custom Coercion

You can also define custom coercion functions to handle specific data types:

from pydantic import BaseModel, Field

class Book(BaseModel):
    title: str
    author: str
    pages: Field(int, coercion=lambda x: int(x.replace(',', '')))

In this example, the pages field will automatically remove commas from the input string before converting it to an integer.

Real-World Examples

  • User Input: Automatically converting user input from a form (which may be strings) to the appropriate types.

  • Database Retrieval: Converting data retrieved from a database (which may be stored as strings) to the appropriate types.

  • Data Validation: Ensuring that data conforms to expected types before further processing.

Implementation Example

from pydantic import BaseModel, Field

class Person(BaseModel):
    name: str
    age: int = Field(default=None, coercion=int)

# Parse a string input as an integer
age = Field(coercion=int)("30")

In this example, the age field can be passed a string value, which is automatically converted to an integer using the int coercion function.


Field types

Field Types in Pydantic

Pydantic is a Python library that helps you validate and parse data. It provides a set of field types that you can use to specify the expected type and constraints of your data.

1. Basic Field Types

a) str:

  • Represents a string.

  • Example: field = Field(str, max_length=20) specifies a string field with a maximum length of 20 characters.

b) int:

  • Represents an integer.

  • Example: field = Field(int, gt=0) specifies an integer field that must be greater than 0.

c) float:

  • Represents a floating-point number.

  • Example: field = Field(float, le=1.0) specifies a float field that must be less than or equal to 1.0.

d) bool:

  • Represents a boolean value.

  • Example: field = Field(bool) specifies a boolean field.

2. Complex Field Types

a) List[type]:

  • Represents a list of items of a specific type.

  • Example: field = Field(List[int]) specifies a list of integers.

b) Dict[key_type, value_type]:

  • Represents a dictionary with key-value pairs of specific types.

  • Example: field = Field(Dict[str, int]) specifies a dictionary with string keys and integer values.

c) Tuple[type]:

  • Represents a tuple of items of specific types.

  • Example: field = Field(Tuple[str, int, float]) specifies a tuple with a string, an integer, and a float.

3. Custom Field Types

You can also create your own custom field types.

  • Example:

from pydantic import BaseModel, Field

class EmailField(Field):
    def validate(self, value, values, **kwargs):
        if not isinstance(value, str):
            raise ValueError("Email must be a string")
        if "@" not in value:
            raise ValueError("Email must contain an '@' symbol")
        return value

class User(BaseModel):
    email: EmailField

4. Real-World Applications

Field types are used in Pydantic to validate and parse data from various sources, such as:

  • HTTP requests

  • Form submissions

  • Database queries

  • Configuration files

By using field types, you can ensure that your data is of the correct type and format, reducing errors and improving data quality.


Primitive types

Primitive Types in Pydantic

Pydantic is a Python library that helps you create type-safe data models. Primitive types are basic data types that can be used to define the fields of a data model.

String

A string is a sequence of characters. It can be represented by single ('') or double ("") quotes.

from pydantic import BaseModel

class Person(BaseModel):
    name: str

Integer

An integer is a whole number. It can be positive or negative, and can be represented without quotes.

class Person(BaseModel):
    age: int

Float

A float is a decimal number. It can be represented with a decimal point (.) or in scientific notation (e.g., 1.23e-5).

class Person(BaseModel):
    height: float

Boolean

A boolean is a logical value that can be either True or False. It can be represented with the keywords True or False.

class Person(BaseModel):
    is_active: bool

None

None is a special value that represents the absence of a value. It can be used to indicate that a field is not set.

class Person(BaseModel):
    favorite_color: str | None

List

A list is an ordered collection of values. It can contain any type of value, including other lists.

class Person(BaseModel):
    hobbies: list[str]

Tuple

A tuple is an ordered collection of values that cannot be modified. It can contain any type of value, including other tuples.

class Person(BaseModel):
    parents: tuple[str, str]

Set

A set is an unordered collection of unique values. It can contain any type of value, including other sets.

class Person(BaseModel):
    skills: set[str]

FrozenSet

A frozen set is an immutable set. It cannot be modified once it is created.

class Person(BaseModel):
    allergies: frozenset[str]

Dict

A dict is an unordered collection of key-value pairs. Each key must be unique, and the values can be any type.

class Person(BaseModel):
    address: dict[str, str]

Any

The Any type can be used to indicate that a field can have any type of value.

class Person(BaseModel):
    data: Any

Applications in Real World

Primitive types can be used in a variety of real-world applications, such as:

  • Data validation: Pydantic can be used to validate user input and ensure that it meets certain criteria. For example, you could use Pydantic to validate that a user's email address is a valid email address.

  • Data modeling: Pydantic can be used to create data models that represent real-world objects. For example, you could create a data model to represent a customer object, which includes fields for the customer's name, address, and phone number.

  • API development: Pydantic can be used to create API schemas that define the expected input and output of an API. For example, you could create an API schema that defines the expected input for a user registration API.


Composite types

Pydantic Composite Types

Composite types in Pydantic are data structures that contain multiple fields. They are used to represent complex data in a structured and validated way.

Field Types

Pydantic supports the following field types in composite types:

  • Primitive types: These include built-in types like str, int, float, and bool.

  • Enum types: These are custom types that represent a set of predefined values.

  • Nested composite types: These are composite types that are embedded within other composite types.

  • Lists and tuples: These are collections of elements, which can be any of the above types.

  • Dicts: These are collections of key-value pairs, where keys are strings and values can be any of the above types.

Defining Composite Types

Composite types are defined using the dataclasses.dataclass decorator. Each field in the type is annotated with its type using the typing.FieldType annotation.

Example:

from pydantic import BaseModel, Field

class User(BaseModel):
    name: str = Field(...)
    age: int = Field(...)
    email: str = Field(...)

In this example, the User class is a composite type with three fields: name, age, and email. The Field(...) annotation specifies that each field is required (i.e., it cannot be None).

Validation

Pydantic automatically validates composite types to ensure that they adhere to the specified schema. It checks for:

  • Required fields

  • Valid field types

  • Valid enum values

  • Minimum and maximum values

Real-World Examples

Composite types are widely used in real-world applications, including:

  • Data modeling: Representing complex data structures in databases or APIs.

  • Form validation: Validating user input in web forms.

  • Configuration management: Storing configuration settings for applications or systems.

  • Data serialization: Converting data structures to and from JSON or XML.

Potential Applications

Here are some specific applications of composite types in different domains:

  • E-commerce: Representing product listings, orders, and customer accounts.

  • Finance: Modeling financial transactions, accounts, and portfolios.

  • Healthcare: Storing patient medical records, appointments, and diagnoses.

  • Education: Tracking student grades, attendance, and assignments.

  • Manufacturing: Managing inventory, production orders, and equipment maintenance records.


Container types

Container Types in Pydantic

Pydantic is a Python library that helps you define data models and validate data. It includes several container types that allow you to represent data structures like lists, dictionaries, and sets. Here's a simplified explanation and example for each type:

List

  • Simplified explanation: A list is like a collection of items in a specific order. You can add, remove, and access items by their index.

  • Example:

from pydantic import BaseModel

class ListModel(BaseModel):
    numbers: list[int] = [1, 2, 3]
    names: list[str] = ["Alice", "Bob", "Carol"]

Dictionary

  • Simplified explanation: A dictionary is like a collection of key-value pairs. Each key is associated with a specific value. You can add, remove, and access values using keys.

  • Example:

from pydantic import BaseModel

class DictModel(BaseModel):
    ages: dict[str, int] = {"Alice": 25, "Bob": 30}
    locations: dict[str, str] = {"John": "New York", "Mary": "London"}

Set

  • Simplified explanation: A set is like a collection of unique items. It does not have any specific order or duplicates. You can add and remove items, but you cannot access them by index or key.

  • Example:

from pydantic import BaseModel

class SetModel(BaseModel):
    numbers: set[int] = {1, 2, 3}
    names: set[str] = {"Alice", "Bob", "Carol"}

Tuple

  • Simplified explanation: A tuple is like a list, but it is immutable. Once created, you cannot add, remove, or modify items in a tuple.

  • Example:

from pydantic import BaseModel

class TupleModel(BaseModel):
    coordinates: tuple[int, int] = (1, 2)
    temperature_range: tuple[float, float] = (-5.0, 20.0)

Real-World Applications

  • List: Used to represent ordered data, such as a shopping list or a list of tasks.

  • Dictionary: Used to represent key-value pairs, such as a dictionary of usernames and passwords or a dictionary of countries and capital cities.

  • Set: Used to represent unique items, such as a set of unique customer IDs or a set of unique file extensions.

  • Tuple: Used to represent immutable data, such as coordinates or temperature ranges.


Custom types

Custom Types

Imagine you have a special type of data that doesn't fit into the standard types Pydantic provides, like a specific date format or a custom validator. You can create your own custom types to handle these special cases.

Creating a Custom Type

To create a custom type, you can use the pydantic.validator decorator. This decorator takes a function that validates your data.

from pydantic import BaseModel, validator

# Custom type to validate a date in the format "YYYY-MM-DD"
class Date(BaseModel):
    value: str

    @validator('value')
    def validate_date_format(cls, v):
        if not re.match(r'\d{4}-\d{2}-\d{2}', v):
            raise ValueError("Invalid date format. Should be YYYY-MM-DD")
        return v

Using Custom Types

Once you have created a custom type, you can use it in your data models like any other standard type:

class MyModel(BaseModel):
    my_date: Date

Real-World Applications

Custom types can be useful in many situations:

  • Validating data in a specific format, like a phone number or email address.

  • Enforcing constraints on data, like ensuring a user's password meets certain criteria.

  • Creating custom types that represent real-world concepts, like a Money type that handles currency conversions.

Code Implementations and Examples

Example 1: Validating a Phone Number

from pydantic import BaseModel, validator
import phonenumbers

class PhoneNumber(BaseModel):
    value: str

    @validator('value')
    def validate_phone_number(cls, v):
        try:
            phonenumbers.parse(v, region="US")  # Validate using a specific region
        except phonenumbers.NumberParseException:
            raise ValueError("Invalid phone number")
        return v

Example 2: Enforcing Password Complexity

from pydantic import BaseModel, validator
import zxcvbn  # A library for password strength estimation

class Password(BaseModel):
    value: str

    @validator('value')
    def validate_password_complexity(cls, v):
        score = zxcvbn.password_strength(v)
        if score.score < 3:  # A score of 3 or above is considered strong
            raise ValueError("Password is not strong enough")
        return v

Example 3: Creating a Money Type

from pydantic import BaseModel, Field
from decimal import Decimal

class Money(BaseModel):
    amount: Decimal = Field(default=0, ge=0, description="Amount of money in the smallest currency unit")
    currency: str = Field(description="Currency code, e.g. 'USD'")

    def __add__(self, other):
        return Money(amount=self.amount + other.amount, currency=self.currency)

    def __sub__(self, other):
        return Money(amount=self.amount - other.amount, currency=self.currency)

Field validation

Field Validation in Pydantic

What is Field Validation?

Imagine you have a form that people fill out. You want to make sure that the information entered into the form is correct and valid. Field validation is like a policeman that checks each field in the form to make sure it meets certain rules.

How Field Validation Works in Pydantic

Pydantic is a Python library that helps you create data classes and validate their fields. When you create a data class with Pydantic, you can define validation rules for each field. These rules can be things like:

  • The field must not be empty.

  • The field must be a number.

  • The field must be between certain values.

Benefits of Field Validation

  • Ensures data entered is correct and valid.

  • Prevents unexpected errors in your application.

  • Improves user experience and reduces frustration.

Code Snippets

from pydantic import BaseModel

class Person(BaseModel):
    name: str
    age: int

    # Define field validation rules
    name = Field(min_length=1, max_length=20)
    age = Field(gt=0, lt=150)

In this example, the name field has a minimum length of 1 character and a maximum length of 20 characters. The age field must be greater than 0 and less than 150.

Real-World Use Cases

  • E-commerce website: Validating user input during checkout, such as ensuring the address is valid and the payment information is correct.

  • User registration form: Validating the email address and password to ensure they meet certain security requirements.

  • API request validation: Ensuring the request parameters are correct before processing the request.

Potential Applications

  • Data cleaning and sanitization: Cleaning up and validating data before it enters your database.

  • Form validation in web applications: Ensuring user-entered data is valid before submitting it.

  • Data exchange between systems: Validating data received from external sources to ensure it meets your expectations.


Field parsing

Field Parsing in Pydantic

Pydantic is a Python library for data validation and serialization. Field parsing allows you to define how individual fields in a data model should be parsed and validated.

1. Basic Field Parsing

from pydantic import BaseModel, Field

class Person(BaseModel):
    name: str = Field()
  • Field() defines the type of the field (str in this case) and allows for default values.

2. Custom Field Validation

from pydantic import BaseModel, Field

class Person(BaseModel):
    age: int = Field(gt=18)
  • gt=18 specifies that the age field must be greater than 18. Pydantic provides a variety of built-in validators.

3. Field Aliases

from pydantic import BaseModel, Field

class Person(BaseModel):
    name: str = Field(alias="full_name")
  • alias allows you to define an alternative name for the field.

4. Field Description

from pydantic import BaseModel, Field

class Person(BaseModel):
    age: int = Field(description="Age in years")
  • description adds a human-readable description to the field.

5. Field Examples

from pydantic import BaseModel, Field

class Person(BaseModel):
    name: str = Field(example="John Doe")
    age: int = Field(example=30)
  • example provides a sample value for the field.

Real-World Applications

Field parsing is used in a variety of real-world applications, including:

  • Data validation: Ensuring that data meets certain criteria.

  • Data serialization: Converting data into a consistent format for storage or transfer.

  • Model binding: Mapping data from a request to a model.

  • API design: Defining the expected structure and validation of data in API requests and responses.


Field formatting

Field Formatting in Pydantic

What is Field Formatting?

Field formatting allows you to control how a model's fields are displayed and validated. It's like putting on a fancy suit for your model's fields, making them look their best and behave politely.

Topics Covered:

1. Aliases

  • Like nicknames for your fields.

  • Lets you use different names for fields inside your code (like "user_id") and for data validation (like "id").

  • Example:

from pydantic import BaseModel, Field

class User(BaseModel):
    user_id: int = Field(alias="id")

2. Title and Description

  • Adds a title and description to your fields.

  • Helps users understand what the field is about and what kind of data it expects.

  • Example:

class User(BaseModel):
    username: str = Field(
        title="Username",
        description="The unique name of the user",
    )

3. Default Values

  • Sets a default value for a field if no value is provided.

  • Useful for fields that should always have a value, even if it's empty.

  • Example:

class User(BaseModel):
    email: str = Field(default="")

4. Required Fields

  • Makes a field mandatory to be filled.

  • If the field is not provided, Pydantic will raise an error.

  • Example:

class User(BaseModel):
    name: str = Field(required=True)

5. Min and Max Values

  • Sets minimum and maximum values for numeric fields.

  • Prevents users from entering data outside the specified range.

  • Example:

class Product(BaseModel):
    price: float = Field(ge=0, le=100)  # Must be between 0 and 100

6. Multiple Field Options

  • Allows you to apply multiple field options to a single field.

  • Example:

class User(BaseModel):
    username: str = Field(
        min_length=3,
        max_length=15,
        regex="^[a-zA-Z0-9]+$",  # Only allows letters and numbers
    )

Real-World Applications:

  • Data Validation: Ensure that user inputs meet your requirements.

  • Documentation: Add clear descriptions and titles to help users understand your models.

  • API Design: Define consistent and user-friendly field formatting for your APIs.

Complete Example:

from pydantic import BaseModel, Field

class Book(BaseModel):
    title: str = Field(title="Book Title", description="The name of the book")
    author: str = Field(alias="writer", required=True, min_length=3)
    pages: int = Field(ge=1, le=1000, default=200)

This model requires a book's title, author, and number of pages (between 1 and 1000). The author field has the alias "writer" and must contain at least 3 characters. The default number of pages is 200.


Default values

Default Values in Pydantic

What are Default Values?

When creating a Pydantic model, you can specify a default value for a field. This means that if no value is provided for that field when creating an instance of the model, the default value will be used.

How to Set Default Values?

To set a default value for a field, use the default parameter:

from pydantic import BaseModel

class User(BaseModel):
    name: str = "John Doe"  # Default value for the "name" field

Example 1: Setting Default Values for Missing Fields

Suppose you have a model for creating new user accounts:

class NewUser(BaseModel):
    username: str
    email: str
    password: str
    is_admin: bool = False  # Default value for is_admin field

When creating a new user, if the is_admin field is not specified, the default value (False) will be used.

Example 2: Data Validation with Default Values

You can also use default values for data validation. For example, you can specify a non-nullable field with a default value:

class User(BaseModel):
    name: str
    email: str = None  # Default value of None

This ensures that the email field will always have a value when creating an instance of the User model.

Real-World Applications

Default values are useful in various scenarios:

  • Ensuring data consistency: Setting default values for mandatory fields ensures that all instances of the model have complete data.

  • Simplifying data entry: Default values can reduce the amount of data that users need to enter, making form-filling more efficient.

  • Enforcing constraints: Default values can impose restrictions on the data that can be entered into a field.

Improved Code Example

Here's an improved code example that demonstrates setting a default value and using it for data validation:

from pydantic import BaseModel, validator

class User(BaseModel):
    username: str
    email: str = None
    is_admin: bool = False

    @validator("email")
    def validate_email(cls, value):
        if value is None:
            raise ValueError("Email cannot be empty")
        return value.lower()

In this example, the email field has a default value of None, but we also have a validator to ensure that it's not empty and is always converted to lowercase.


Optional fields

Optional Fields in Pydantic

Pydantic is a Python library that helps you create data models and perform data validation. Optional fields in Pydantic allow you to define fields in your data models that are not required to be present when creating an instance of the model.

Defining Optional Fields

To define an optional field in Pydantic, you can use the Optional type annotation. For example:

from pydantic import BaseModel

class Person(BaseModel):
    name: str
    age: int
    email: Optional[str]

In this example, the email field is optional, meaning it can be omitted when creating an instance of the Person model.

Creating Instances with Optional Fields

When creating an instance of a data model with optional fields, you can omit the optional fields if you wish. For example:

person = Person(name="John", age=30)

In this example, the email field is omitted.

Default Values for Optional Fields

You can also specify a default value for an optional field using the default argument. For example:

class Person(BaseModel):
    name: str
    age: int
    email: Optional[str] = None

In this example, the default value for the email field is None. If the email field is omitted when creating an instance of the model, the default value will be used.

Real-World Examples

Optional fields are useful in a variety of real-world scenarios, such as:

  • User registration forms: You may have a registration form that collects information such as name, email, and phone number. The phone number could be an optional field.

  • Customer feedback surveys: You may have a survey that collects information such as satisfaction level, comments, and suggestions. The suggestions field could be an optional field.

  • Data entry forms: You may have a form that collects data such as address, city, and state. The state field could be an optional field for people who live in countries that don't have states.

Conclusion

Optional fields in Pydantic provide a convenient way to define data models with fields that may or may not be present when creating instances of the model. This can be useful in a variety of real-world scenarios.


Required fields

Required Fields in Pydantic

What are Required Fields?

Imagine you have a form where people fill in their information. You want to make sure they complete all the important fields, like their name and email address. Declaring a field as required in Pydantic is like putting a star (*) next to that field on the form.

How to Declare Required Fields

To declare a field as required, use the required argument:

from pydantic import BaseModel

class User(BaseModel):
    name: str = Field(..., required=True)
    email: str = Field(..., required=True)

This means that when you create a User object, you must provide values for both name and email.

Default vs. Required

required=True is different from default=None. A default value is just a placeholder that is automatically filled if no value is provided. A required field must be filled with a non-empty value.

from pydantic import BaseModel

class User(BaseModel):
    name: str = "John Doe"  # Default value
    email: str = Field(..., required=True)  # Required

Benefits of Required Fields

Required fields help ensure that important information is collected and that your data is complete. This is essential for applications like:

  • Forms and surveys

  • Database record creation

  • Data validation and cleansing

Real-World Example

Suppose you have an e-commerce application. When customers create an order, you want to make sure they provide their shipping address. You can use a ShippingAddress model with required fields for address, city, state, and zip code:

from pydantic import BaseModel

class ShippingAddress(BaseModel):
    address: str = Field(..., required=True)
    city: str = Field(..., required=True)
    state: str = Field(..., required=True)
    zip_code: str = Field(..., required=True)

Summary

Required fields in Pydantic help you enforce data completeness and ensure that important information is collected. They are easy to declare and bring several benefits to your applications.


Validation rules

Validation Rules in Pydantic

What are Validation Rules?

Validation rules are like checkpoints that make sure your data is correct and consistent before it gets used. They help you catch errors early on, so you don't have to waste time fixing them later.

Types of Validation Rules

There are several types of validation rules in Pydantic:

  • Required: Makes sure a field is not missing or empty.

  • Max/Min: Limits the size or value of a field to a certain range.

  • Regex: Matches a field against a specific pattern.

  • Enum: Restricts a field to a set of accepted values.

How to Use Validation Rules

To use validation rules, you add them to the definition of your data model using the validator decorator. For example:

from pydantic import BaseModel, validator

class Person(BaseModel):
    name: str
    age: int
    
    @validator("age")
    def age_must_be_positive(cls, value):
        if value < 0:
            raise ValueError("Age must be a positive number")
        return value

Real-World Applications

Validation rules are useful in many real-world scenarios, such as:

  • User registration: Validating email addresses, passwords, and other personal data.

  • E-commerce: Validating credit card numbers, addresses, and product quantities.

  • Data analytics: Validating data for consistency and accuracy before processing.

Example

Let's say we have a simple data model for a user registration form:

from pydantic import BaseModel, validator

class User(BaseModel):
    name: str
    email: str
    password: str
    
    @validator("password")
    def password_must_be_strong(cls, value):
        if len(value) < 8:
            raise ValueError("Password must be at least 8 characters long")
        return value

When a user tries to register with a password that is less than 8 characters long, the password_must_be_strong validator will raise an error and the registration process will fail.

Tip: Validation rules can also be used to perform other tasks, such as sanitizing data or converting it to a specific format.


Custom validators

Custom Validators

Custom validators allow you to define your own rules for validating data. This is useful when you have specific requirements that are not covered by the built-in validators.

Creating a Custom Validator

To create a custom validator, you use the pydantic.validator decorator. The decorator takes a function as an argument, which defines the validation rule.

from pydantic import BaseModel, validator

class User(BaseModel):
    username: str
    password: str

    @validator("password")
    def password_must_be_strong(cls, value):
        if len(value) < 8:
            raise ValueError("Password must be at least 8 characters long")
        return value

Using a Custom Validator

Once you have created a custom validator, you can use it in your model by adding it to the field definition.

from pydantic import BaseModel, validator

class User(BaseModel):
    username: str
    password: str = Field(validators=[validator("password_must_be_strong")])

Real-World Applications

Custom validators can be used for a variety of purposes, including:

  • Validating that a field meets a specific format (e.g., an email address)

  • Ensuring that a field is within a certain range or set of values

  • Checking that a field is not empty or null

  • Performing complex calculations or lookups on the data

Potential Applications

Here are a few examples of potential applications for custom validators:

  • Validating the format of a credit card number

  • Checking that a date is in the past

  • Ensuring that a user has a valid subscription

  • Verifying that a password meets certain complexity requirements

Example Code Implementations

The following code implements a custom validator that checks that a field is not empty or null:

from pydantic import BaseModel, validator

class User(BaseModel):
    name: str

    @validator("name")
    def name_must_not_be_empty(cls, value):
        if not value:
            raise ValueError("Name must not be empty")
        return value

The following code implements a custom validator that checks that a field is within a certain range:

from pydantic import BaseModel, validator

class Product(BaseModel):
    price: float

    @validator("price")
    def price_must_be_positive(cls, value):
        if value < 0:
            raise ValueError("Price must be positive")
        return value

Validation errors

Validation Errors

Imagine you're having a party at your house. You want to invite your friends, but only the ones who will follow your party rules. Pydantic is like your party bouncer, making sure that only valid "guests" (data) enter your system.

1. Default Validation Errors

If a guest doesn't meet your rules, the bouncer might say things like:

  • "Your name is too short. It must be at least 3 characters long."

  • "Your age must be a number and between 18 and 60."

  • "You can't wear a swimsuit to a formal party."

These are the default validation errors that Pydantic raises when data doesn't match the defined model.

2. Custom Validation Errors

Sometimes, you want the bouncer to say specific messages instead of the default ones. You can do this by using custom validation functions.

For example, instead of the default age error, you might want the bouncer to say:

def validate_age(value):
    if 18 <= value <= 60:
        return value
    raise ValueError("You must be between 18 and 60 years old.")

When defining your model, you can use this custom function like this:

from pydantic import BaseModel, validator

class Guest(BaseModel):
    name: str
    age: validator("validate_age", allow_reuse=True)(int)
    dress_code: str

3. Error Handling

If the bouncer rejects a guest, you need to handle the error gracefully. There are two ways to do this:

  • Model Validation: Validate the data before using it. If validation fails, you can catch the error and display a friendly message.

  • Schema Validation: Use the validate() method to validate data without creating a model. This is useful for validating data from external sources that don't fit your defined models.

Real-World Applications

Validation errors are essential for ensuring that data in your system is:

  • Clean: Free from errors and inconsistencies.

  • Consistent: Conforms to predefined rules.

  • Reliable: Can be trusted for decision-making.

They are used in a variety of applications, including:

  • Form validation in web applications

  • Data validation in APIs

  • Data cleaning and filtering

  • Data analysis and reporting


Error messages

Error Messages

When using Pydantic to validate data, it can generate error messages to indicate any problems. Here's a simplified explanation of each topic:

Validation Errors:

  • Explanation: When Pydantic validates data against a model, it checks if the data meets certain rules (type, length, etc.). If it doesn't, it raises ValidationErrors.

  • Example:

from pydantic import BaseModel
from typing import List

class Person(BaseModel):
    name: str
    age: int

data = {
    "name": "John",
    "age": "25"  # should be an integer
}

try:
    person = Person(**data)  # creates Person object
except ValidationError as e:
    print(e.json())

Output:

{"name": null, "age": ["value is not a valid integer"]}

Typing Errors:

  • Explanation: These errors occur when the data types in your model don't match the data you're trying to validate.

  • Example:

from pydantic import BaseModel

class Book(BaseModel):
    title: int  # should be a string

data = {
    "title": "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy"
}

try:
    book = Book(**data)  # creates Book object
except TypeError as e:
    print(e)

Output:

'int' object cannot be interpreted as an integer

Value Errors:

  • Explanation: These errors occur when the data you're trying to validate does not meet the constraints defined in your model.

  • Example:

from pydantic import BaseModel

class Score(BaseModel):
    value: int
    min_value: int = 0
    max_value: int = 100

data = {
    "value": 120
}

try:
    score = Score(**data)  # creates Score object
except ValueError as e:
    print(e)

Output:

ensure this value is <= 100

Real-World Applications:

  • Validating user input in web forms

  • Ensuring data consistency in databases

  • Verifying data integrity in API endpoints

  • Implementing configuration validation for applications


Model creation

Model Creation

What is a Model?

A Model is a way to define the structure of data. It describes what kind of data is allowed and how it should be validated. This is useful when working with external data sources (like APIs) where you need to ensure the data is in the correct format.

Creating a Model

To create a Model, you use a library like Pydantic. Pydantic provides a simple way to define models using type annotations.

from pydantic import BaseModel

class Person(BaseModel):
    name: str
    age: int

This model defines a Person with two fields: name (a string) and age (an integer).

Validation

Models can be used to validate data. When you pass data to a model, it will check if the data matches the defined structure. If it doesn't, it will raise an exception.

person = Person(name="John", age=30)
person.name  # 'John'
person.age  # 30

Trying to access an invalid field or set an invalid value will raise an exception:

person.address  # Raises an AttributeError
person.age = "Twenty"  # Raises a ValidationError

Real-World Applications

Models are used in many different applications, including:

  • Data validation in APIs

  • Data serialization (converting data to and from different formats)

  • Data modeling for machine learning

Complete Code Example

Here's a complete code example using the Person model:

from pydantic import BaseModel

class Person(BaseModel):
    name: str
    age: int

# Create a Person object
person = Person(name="John", age=30)

# Print the person's name and age
print(person.name, person.age)  # Output: John 30

# Try to set an invalid value
try:
    person.age = "Twenty"
except ValidationError as e:
    print(e.errors())  # Output: [{'loc': ('age',), 'msg': 'value is not a valid integer', 'type': 'type_error.integer'}]

Model inheritance

What is Model Inheritance?

In Pydantic, you can create new models by inheriting from existing models. This allows you to reuse existing functionality and create more complex models.

How to Create Inherited Models

To create an inherited model, use the class keyword followed by the name of the parent model and any additional fields you want to add:

from pydantic import BaseModel

class ParentModel(BaseModel):
    name: str

class ChildModel(ParentModel):
    age: int

ChildModel now has all the fields of ParentModel plus an additional field age.

Applications of Model Inheritance

Model inheritance can be useful in various situations:

  • Creating specific models for different use cases: You can inherit from a general model and create more specific models for different purposes.

  • Reusing common functionality: By inheriting from a common base model, you can ensure that all your models share certain properties and behavior.

  • Extending existing models: You can add additional fields or functionality to existing models without having to rewrite the entire model.

Real-World Examples

Here are some real-world examples of model inheritance:

  • An e-commerce store: A base Product model could include fields like name and price. Specific products, such as Book or Electronics, could inherit from Product and add their own unique fields, such as author or brand.

  • A social media platform: A base User model could include fields like username and email. Different types of users, such as Admin or Member, could inherit from User and add their own roles and permissions.

Code Implementations

Here's a complete code implementation of the above e-commerce store example:

from pydantic import BaseModel

class Product(BaseModel):
    name: str
    price: float

class Book(Product):
    author: str

class Electronics(Product):
    brand: str

book1 = Book(name="Harry Potter", price=10.99, author="J.K. Rowling")
electronic1 = Electronics(name="iPhone 14", price=999.99, brand="Apple")

Simplify Example

Imagine you have a model for a Person:

class Person:
    name: str
    age: int

You want to create a new model for Employee that has all the fields of Person plus an additional field salary. You can inherit from Person like this:

class Employee(Person):
    salary: float

Employee now has all the fields of Person (name, age) plus the additional field salary.


Model composition

Model Composition

Model composition in pydantic is the ability to combine multiple data models into a single, more complex model. This is useful for representing complex data structures, such as nested objects or lists of objects.

Types of Model Composition

There are two main types of model composition in pydantic:

  • Submodels: A submodel is a model that is nested within another model. For example, a User model might have a Profile submodel that contains additional information about the user.

  • Lists of models: A list of models is a collection of multiple models of the same type. For example, a User model might have a friends field that is a list of other User models.

Creating Submodels

To create a submodel, you simply declare it as a nested class within another model. For example:

from pydantic import BaseModel

class Profile(BaseModel):
    name: str
    age: int

class User(BaseModel):
    username: str
    email: str
    profile: Profile

The Profile class is a submodel of the User class. When validating a User model, pydantic will also validate the Profile submodel.

Creating Lists of Models

To create a list of models, you simply use the List[Model] type. For example:

from pydantic import BaseModel

class User(BaseModel):
    username: str
    email: str

class FriendList(BaseModel):
    friends: List[User]

The FriendList class contains a list of User models. When validating a FriendList model, pydantic will validate each of the User models in the list.

Real-World Applications

Model composition is used in a variety of real-world applications, including:

  • Representing complex data structures, such as nested objects or lists of objects

  • Validating data from complex forms or APIs

  • Creating data models for use in databases or other persistence mechanisms

Complete Code Implementations

Here is a complete code implementation of a User model with a Profile submodel:

from pydantic import BaseModel

class Profile(BaseModel):
    name: str
    age: int

class User(BaseModel):
    username: str
    email: str
    profile: Profile

user = User(
    username="johndoe",
    email="john.doe@example.com",
    profile=Profile(
        name="John Doe",
        age=30
    )
)

Here is a complete code implementation of a FriendList model with a list of User models:

from pydantic import BaseModel

class User(BaseModel):
    username: str
    email: str

class FriendList(BaseModel):
    friends: List[User]

friend_list = FriendList(
    friends=[
        User(username="johndoe", email="john.doe@example.com"),
        User(username="janedoe", email="jane.doe@example.com")
    ]
)

Model validation

Model Validation

Imagine you have a program to enter your name and age. You want to ensure that the name is valid (contains only letters) and that the age is a valid number. This is where model validation comes in.

Custom Validation

You can create rules for validating specific fields:

class Person:
    name: str  # Name must be a string
    age: int  # Age must be an integer
    
    class Config:
        validate_assignment = True  # Validate on assignment to the model

# Create a person with valid name and age
person = Person(name="John", age=30)

# Attempt to create a person with an invalid name
try:
    person2 = Person(name=123, age=30)
except ValueError:
    print("Invalid name")

# Attempt to create a person with an invalid age
try:
    person3 = Person(name="John", age="thirty")
except ValueError:
    print("Invalid age")

Use a Pydantic Model

Pydantic provides a built-in validator you can use by creating a class with the fields you want to validate:

from pydantic import BaseModel

class Person(BaseModel):
    name: str  # Name must be a string
    age: int  # Age must be an integer
    
# Create a person with valid name and age
person = Person(name="John", age=30)

# Attempt to create a person with an invalid name
try:
    person2 = Person(name=123, age=30)
except ValueError:
    print("Invalid name")

# Attempt to create a person with an invalid age
try:
    person3 = Person(name="John", age="thirty")
except ValueError:
    print("Invalid age")

Potential Applications

Model validation can be used in:

  • Form validation: Validating user input in web forms.

  • Data cleaning: Ensuring data integrity before processing it.

  • API input validation: Validating data received from API requests.

  • Data exchange: Ensuring data is consistent and valid when exchanged between systems.


Model parsing

Pydantic Model Parsing

Overview

Pydantic is a Python library that helps you manage data by creating data classes with built-in validation and serialization/deserialization.

Parsing Models

What is Parsing? Parsing is the process of taking raw data (e.g., JSON or CSV) and converting it into a Python object that can be easily manipulated and used in your code.

From JSON to Model

  • Code Snippet:

from pydantic import BaseModel

class User(BaseModel):
    name: str
    age: int

user_data = '{"name": "John", "age": 30}'

user = User.parse_raw(user_data)
  • Explanation:

    • User is a Pydantic data class with fields for name (str) and age (int).

    • user_data is a JSON string representing user information.

    • User.parse_raw() parses the JSON data and creates a User object, validating the data based on the defined fields.

From Model to JSON

  • Code Snippet:

user_json = user.json()
  • Explanation:

    • user.json() converts the User object back to a JSON string, making it easy to store or transmit data in a serialized format.

Real-World Applications

Example 1: API Request Validation

  • Parse incoming JSON requests and validate them against defined models to ensure data integrity.

from pydantic import BaseModel

class RequestData(BaseModel):
    query: str
    page_size: int

response_data = RequestData.parse_raw(request.data)

Example 2: Data Migration

  • Convert data from one format (e.g., CSV) to another (e.g., JSON) by parsing and serializing data using models.

from pydantic import BaseModel

class CSVData(BaseModel):
    name: str
    age: int

csv_data = [
    {"name": "John", "age": 30},
    {"name": "Jane", "age": 35},
]

json_data = [data.json() for data in CSVData.parse_obj_as(csv_data)]

Model serialization

Model Serialization

What is it?

It's the process of converting a Python object into a format that can be stored and later recreated. This is useful for saving data, sending it over the network, or sharing it with others.

How does it work?

Pydantic provides a json() method to serialize Python objects into JSON format. JSON is a popular data exchange format that is human-readable and easy to work with.

Example:

from pydantic import BaseModel

class Person(BaseModel):
    name: str
    age: int

person = Person(name="John", age=30)
json_data = person.json()

Model Deserialization

What is it?

It's the process of recreating a Python object from its serialized form. This is the reverse of serialization.

How does it work?

Pydantic provides a parse_obj() method to deserialize JSON data into Python objects. The method takes a JSON string or a Python dictionary as input and returns the corresponding Python object.

Example:

from pydantic import BaseModel

class Person(BaseModel):
    name: str
    age: int

json_data = '{"name": "John", "age": 30}'
person = Person.parse_obj(json_data)

Custom Serialization and Deserialization

What is it?

Sometimes, you may need to override the default serialization and deserialization behavior of Pydantic. This can be done by providing custom to_json() and parse_obj() methods to your model class.

Example:

from pydantic import BaseModel, Field

class Person(BaseModel):
    name: str = Field(alias="username")
    age: int

    def to_json(self):
        return {"username": self.name, "age": self.age}

    @classmethod
    def parse_obj(cls, data):
        return cls(name=data["username"], age=data["age"])

Real-World Applications

  • Data storage: Serializing data allows it to be efficiently stored in a database or file system.

  • Data exchange: Serialized data can be easily sent over the network or shared with other applications.

  • Configuration management: Serialized configuration files can be used to store and manage application settings.

  • Model sharing: Serialized models can be shared with other developers for collaboration or reuse.


Model conversion

Model Conversion in Pydantic

Introduction

Pydantic is a popular Python library for data validation, serialization, and model declaration. It allows you to define data models using Python classes, and it provides various ways to convert these models to and from other formats, such as JSON, ORMs, and SQL schemas.

Converting to JSON

To convert a Pydantic model to JSON, you can use the json() method:

from pydantic import BaseModel

class Car(BaseModel):
    name: str
    year: int

car = Car(name="Tesla Model S", year=2023)
json_data = car.json()
print(json_data)

# Output:
# {"name": "Tesla Model S", "year": 2023}

Converting from JSON

To convert from JSON to a Pydantic model, you can use the parse_raw() method:

json_data = '{"name": "Tesla Model S", "year": 2023}'
car = Car.parse_raw(json_data)
print(car)

# Output:
# Car(name="Tesla Model S", year=2023)

Converting to ORM (SQLAlchemy)

Pydantic provides a convenient way to convert models to and from SQLAlchemy ORM (Object-Relational Mapping) objects. This allows you to easily create and interact with database models.

To convert to an ORM object, you can use the to_orm() method:

from pydantic import BaseModel
from sqlalchemy import Column, Integer, String
from sqlalchemy.orm import declarative_base

Base = declarative_base()

class Car(BaseModel):
    name: str
    year: int

class CarORM(Base):
    __tablename__ = "cars"

    id = Column(Integer, primary_key=True)
    name = Column(String)
    year = Column(Integer)

car = Car(name="Tesla Model S", year=2023)
car_orm = car.to_orm(CarORM)

To convert from an ORM object to a Pydantic model, you can use the from_orm() method:

car_orm = CarORM(name="Tesla Model S", year=2023)
car = Car.from_orm(car_orm)

Converting to SQL Schema (SQLAlchemy)

You can also convert Pydantic models to SQLAlchemy SQL schemas, which represents the database table structure:

from pydantic import BaseModel
from sqlalchemy import MetaData, Table, Column, Integer, String

class Car(BaseModel):
    name: str
    year: int

metadata = MetaData()

cars = Table(
    "cars",
    metadata,
    Column("id", Integer, primary_key=True),
    Column("name", String),
    Column("year", Integer),
)

sql_schema = Car.to_sql_schema(cars)

The resulting sql_schema object can be used to create or alter a database table.

Real-World Applications

Model conversion in Pydantic has various real-world applications, including:

  • Data exchange: Converting data to JSON allows for easy exchange of data between different systems or applications.

  • Database integration: Converting models to and from ORMs and SQL schemas enables seamless interaction with relational databases.

  • API development: Pydantic models can be used to validate and serialize data in API endpoints.

  • Data migration: Converting models between different formats can facilitate data migration processes.

  • Data validation: Pydantic models can be used to validate data before it is used for further processing.


Model customization

Model Customization

Introduction:

Pydantic lets you create custom data models that you can use to validate and handle data. These models are called schemas.

Customizing Field Attributes:

  • default: Set a default value for a field.

  • required: Make a field mandatory.

  • alias: Give a field an alternate name.

  • const: Set a fixed value for a field.

  • gt: Validate that a number field is greater than a threshold.

  • ge: Validate that a number field is greater than or equal to a threshold.

Example:

from pydantic import BaseModel, Field

class Person(BaseModel):
    name: str = Field(default="John Doe")
    age: int = Field(required=True)

Overriding Model Logic:

  • pre_validators: Functions that run before validation.

  • validators: Functions that run during validation.

  • post_validators: Functions that run after validation.

Example:

from pydantic import BaseModel, validator

class Person(BaseModel):
    name: str
    age: int

    @validator("age")
    def check_age(cls, v):
        if v < 18:
            raise ValueError("Age must be greater than 18")
        return v

Custom Serialization and Deserialization:

  • to_representation: Customize how your model is converted to JSON.

  • from_orm: Customize how data from an ORM (e.g., SQLAlchemy) is converted to your model.

Example:

from pydantic import BaseModel, to_representation

class Person(BaseModel):
    name: str
    age: int

    @to_representation
    def to_dict(self):
        return {"full_name": f"{self.name} {self.age}"}

Real-World Applications:

  • Data Validation: Ensure data entered by users is correct.

  • Data Conversion: Convert data between different formats.

  • Communication: Share data between different systems using a common schema.

  • Configuration Management: Store application settings in a structured way.

  • API Design: Define the structure of incoming and outgoing data for REST APIs.


Model configuration

Model Configuration

Imagine a blueprint for a house. A model configuration in Pydantic is like that blueprint, but for data. It defines the structure and rules for your data to follow.

Major Topics:

1. Fields:

Like the rooms in a house, fields define the different pieces of data your model will have. Each field has a type (e.g., string, number) and can have its own rules.

from pydantic import BaseModel

class Person(BaseModel):
    name: str
    age: int

2. Validators:

Like building codes, validators make sure your data meets certain rules. They can check for things like minimum length, maximum value, or even regular expressions.

class Person(BaseModel):
    name: str
    age: int = Field(gt=0, lt=150)  # Age must be between 0 and 149

3. Default Values:

If you don't provide a value for a field when creating an instance of the model, it will use the default value you specify.

class Person(BaseModel):
    name: str
    age: int = 18  # Default age is 18

4. Enums:

Enums are like predefined options for a field. You can limit the possible values your data can have.

from enum import Enum

class Gender(Enum):
    male = "male"
    female = "female"

class Person(BaseModel):
    name: str
    gender: Gender

5. Excluding and Including Fields:

Sometimes, you may not want to include or exclude certain fields when serializing or deserializing data.

class Person(BaseModel):
    id: int
    name: str

    class Config:
        exclude = ["id"]
        include = ["name", "age"]  # Also works with `exclude_unset=True`

Real-World Applications:

  • Data Validation: Ensure that data meets your requirements and is consistent.

  • Data Cleaning: Remove invalid data or fill in missing values based on default values.

  • API Schema: Define the structure of data passed to and from APIs.

  • Data Modeling: Create reusable data structures that represent real-world objects.

  • Complex Data Validation: Use nested models and validators to handle complex data structures.


Immutable models

Immutable Models

Imagine you're drawing a picture of a tree. Once you draw the trunk, branches, and leaves, you can't erase them and redraw them later. Similarly, immutable models in Pydantic are like frozen drawings that can't be changed after they're created.

Benefits:

  • Safer: They prevent accidental or malicious changes to important data.

  • Consistent: They ensure that data is always in the same state, making it easier to reason about.

  • Performant: Immutable models are more efficient because they don't need to worry about copying or updating data structures.

Usage:

To create an immutable model, simply add frozen=True to your class definition:

from pydantic import BaseModel

class ImmutableTree(BaseModel):
    trunk: str
    branches: list[str]
    leaves: list[str]
    frozen=True

Real-World Example:

Suppose you have a database of customer orders. Each order is represented by a Pydantic model. By making these models immutable, you ensure that:

  • Once an order is placed, it can't be modified by mistake or fraud.

  • You can confidently analyze data from these orders, knowing that it hasn't been tampered with.

  • The performance of your order management system is improved because it doesn't have to handle potentially expensive copies or updates.

Code Implementation:

from pydantic import BaseModel

class Order(BaseModel):
    product_id: int
    quantity: int
    total_price: float
    date_ordered: datetime
    frozen=True

# Create an order
order = Order(product_id=123, quantity=2, total_price=100.00, date_ordered="2023-03-08")

# Attempt to change the quantity (will fail)
order.quantity = 3

Applications:

Immutable models are useful in various applications, including:

  • Financial transactions: Protecting against unauthorized changes to account balances or payment records.

  • Legal documents: Preventing tampering with contracts or court orders.

  • Security configurations: Ensuring that critical security settings remain unchanged.


Mutable models

Mutable Models in Pydantic

What are Mutable Models?

In Pydantic, models are usually immutable, meaning you can't change their values after they're created. This is helpful for data validation and ensuring data integrity.

However, sometimes you may need to work with data that needs to be changed. For that, Pydantic provides mutable models. These models allow you to modify their values even after they're created.

How to Create Mutable Models:

To create a mutable model, use the MutableModel class instead of the regular BaseModel class. For example:

from pydantic import BaseModel, MutableModel

class ImmutableModel(BaseModel):
    name: str

class MutableModel(MutableModel):
    name: str

Modifying Mutable Models:

You can modify the values of a mutable model simply by assigning new values to its attributes:

mutable_model = MutableModel(name="John")
mutable_model.name = "James"

print(mutable_model.name)  # Output: James

Potential Applications in Real World:

Mutable models are useful in various scenarios, such as:

  • Data manipulation: Temporarily modify data before processing or storing it.

  • State tracking: Keep track of changing values over time, such as a user's progress in a game.

  • Dynamic configuration: Allow users to customize settings or configurations that may change frequently.

Complete Code Example:

Let's create a simple mutable model to track a user's progress in a game:

from pydantic import *

class UserProgress(MutableModel):
    name: str
    level: int
    score: int

# Create a user progress instance
user_progress = UserProgress(name="Alice", level=1, score=0)

# Modify the user's progress
user_progress.level += 1
user_progress.score += 100

# Print the updated user progress
print(user_progress)  # Output: UserProgress(name="Alice", level=2, score=100)

This example demonstrates how to create a mutable model, modify its values, and access the updated data.


Dataclass support

Dataclass Support in Pydantic

Introduction

Pydantic is a Python library that allows you to define data structures (models) with type annotations and validations. It can also automatically convert these models to and from JSON, making them easy to use with web frameworks and APIs.

Dataclass Support

Pydantic recently added support for dataclasses, which are a new way to define data structures in Python that are more concise and easier to read than traditional classes. This allows you to create Pydantic models using dataclasses, making it even easier to create and validate data structures.

How to Use Dataclass Support

To use dataclass support, you simply need to import the dataclasses module and annotate your dataclass with the @dataclass decorator. You can then use Pydantic to validate your dataclass as follows:

from dataclasses import dataclass
from pydantic import BaseModel

@dataclass
class Person:
    name: str
    age: int

person = Person(name="John", age=30)
person_model = BaseModel.construct(person)  # Validates the dataclass

Advantages of Using Dataclass Support

Using dataclass support in Pydantic has several advantages, including:

  • Concise and easy to read: Dataclasses are more concise and easier to read than traditional classes, making it easier to define and validate data structures.

  • Automatic validation: Pydantic automatically validates your dataclass, ensuring that the data it contains is valid according to the type annotations.

  • Flexibility: You can use dataclass support with any Pydantic model, allowing you to create complex and flexible data structures.

Real-World Applications

Dataclass support in Pydantic can be used in a variety of real-world applications, including:

  • Data validation: Validating data from forms and APIs to ensure that it is in the correct format and contains the expected values.

  • Data modeling: Creating data models for complex data structures, such as customer records or product catalogs.

  • Data serialization: Converting data structures to and from JSON for use with web frameworks and APIs.

Conclusion

Dataclass support in Pydantic makes it easier and more efficient to create, validate, and use data structures in your Python applications. By using dataclasses with Pydantic, you can enjoy the benefits of both worlds, getting the concise and easy-to-read syntax of dataclasses with the powerful validation and serialization capabilities of Pydantic.


ORM integration

Pydantic ORM Integration

Understanding ORMs

Object-relational mapping (ORM) is a technique that allows you to work with database objects using Python classes. It makes it easier to interact with the database, as you can manipulate objects in Python instead of writing SQL queries directly.

Pydantic's ORM Integration

Pydantic provides built-in support for integrating with SQLAlchemy, which is a popular ORM library in Python. This integration allows you to use Pydantic's data validation and type checking capabilities to ensure the integrity of your database models.

Defining a Pydantic Model

To create a Pydantic model for an ORM, you define a class that inherits from sqlalchemy.orm.declarative_base. This class defines the attributes of the model, which correspond to the columns in the database table. For example:

from pydantic import BaseModel
from sqlalchemy import String, Integer
from sqlalchemy.orm import declarative_base

Base = declarative_base()

class User(Base):
    id = Integer(primary_key=True)
    name = String(255)

Validating Data with Pydantic

Pydantic's data validation capabilities can be used to enforce constraints on the data stored in the database. You can define validation rules using the @validator decorator, which allows you to specify custom validation logic. For example:

from pydantic import validator

@validator('name')
def name_must_not_be_empty(cls, v):
    if not v:
        raise ValueError("Name cannot be empty")
    return v

Using Pydantic with SQLAlchemy

To use Pydantic with SQLAlchemy, you can create a SQLAlchemyWrapper class that wraps the SQLAlchemy sessionmaker function. This wrapper allows you to create Pydantic models from SQLAlchemy objects and vice versa.

from sqlalchemy.orm import sessionmaker
from sqlalchemy import create_engine

engine = create_engine("postgresql://user:password@host:port/database")
Session = sessionmaker(bind=engine)

wrapper = SQLAlchemyWrapper(Session)

Real-World Example

A real-world application of Pydantic's ORM integration is in a web application where you want to ensure that the data entered by users is valid before it is stored in the database. By using Pydantic validation, you can prevent invalid data from being persisted, which can lead to errors or security vulnerabilities.

For example, in a user registration form, you can use Pydantic to validate that the user's email address is valid, that the password is strong enough, and that the username is unique in the database. This ensures that the data entered by the user is valid and that the database is protected from invalid or malicious data.


JSON schema generation

JSON Schema Generation with Pydantic

JSON schemas define the structure and format of JSON data, ensuring its validity and consistency. Pydantic, a Python data validation library, can automatically generate JSON schemas from your data models.

1. Model Definition

Create a Pydantic model class to represent your data:

from pydantic import BaseModel

class UserModel(BaseModel):
    name: str
    age: int
  • name is a string field.

  • age is an integer field.

2. Schema Generation

Use the Model.schema() method to generate the JSON schema from the model:

schema = UserModel.schema()

The generated schema will look something like this:

{
  "$schema": "http://json-schema.org/draft-07/schema#",
  "type": "object",
  "properties": {
    "name": {
      "type": "string"
    },
    "age": {
      "type": "integer"
    }
  }
}
  • $schema specifies the JSON Schema version.

  • type indicates that the data is an object.

  • properties defines the object's fields and data types.

Real-World Applications:

  • Data Validation: Ensure that incoming data matches the defined schema, preventing malformed data.

  • API Documentation: Generate OpenAPI or Swagger documentation from the schema, providing clear documentation for developers consuming your API.

3. Nested Models

To define nested models, use embedded classes within your model:

class AddressModel(BaseModel):
    street: str
    city: str

class UserModelWithAddress(BaseModel):
    name: str
    age: int
    address: AddressModel

The generated schema will handle the nested structure:

{
  "$schema": "http://json-schema.org/draft-07/schema#",
  "type": "object",
  "properties": {
    "name": {
      "type": "string"
    },
    "age": {
      "type": "integer"
    },
    "address": {
      "type": "object",
      "properties": {
        "street": {
          "type": "string"
        },
        "city": {
          "type": "string"
        }
      }
    }
  }
}

4. Complex Data Types

Pydantic supports complex data types like lists, tuples, and dictionaries:

class ComplexDataModel(BaseModel):
    list_field: list[int]
    tuple_field: tuple[str, str]
    dict_field: dict[str, str]

The schema will handle these complex types as follows:

{
  "$schema": "http://json-schema.org/draft-07/schema#",
  "type": "object",
  "properties": {
    "list_field": {
      "type": "array",
      "items": {
        "type": "integer"
      }
    },
    "tuple_field": {
      "type": "array",
      "maxItems": 2,
      "items": [
        {
          "type": "string"
        },
        {
          "type": "string"
        }
      ]
    },
    "dict_field": {
      "type": "object",
      "additionalProperties": {
        "type": "string"
      }
    }
  }
}

Real-World Applications:

  • Data Transformation: Enforce specific data structures and ensure consistent data handling between different systems.

  • Data Exchange: Enable seamless data exchange between systems with different data formats.

In summary, JSON schema generation with Pydantic allows you to define the structure and format of your data, ensuring data validity, documentation, and smooth data exchange in real-world applications.


OpenAPI schema generation

OpenAPI Schema Generation with Pydantic

What is OpenAPI?

OpenAPI is a specification that describes your API's structure, methods, and capabilities. It helps developers understand how your API works and build client applications that interact with it.

What is Pydantic?

Pydantic is a Python library that validates and models data. It uses type hints to create schemas that define the expected structure and content of data.

How to Use Pydantic for OpenAPI Schema Generation

To generate an OpenAPI schema from a Pydantic model:

  1. Create a Pydantic model: Define the structure of your model using Pydantic's type hints.

from pydantic import BaseModel

class User(BaseModel):
    id: int
    name: str
    email: str
  1. Install pydantic-openapi: This library generates OpenAPI schemas from Pydantic models.

pip install pydantic-openapi
  1. Generate the schema: Import pydantic-openapi and use its schema function.

from pydantic_openapi import schema

user_schema = schema.schema(User)
  1. Save the schema: The schema is a JSON dictionary. You can save it to a file or use it directly in your code.

import json

with open('user_schema.json', 'w') as f:
    json.dump(user_schema, f, indent=4)

Real-World Applications

OpenAPI schemas generated from Pydantic models can be used for:

  • API documentation: Provide developers with clear documentation about your API's functionality.

  • Client SDK generation: Generate client libraries that allow developers to interact with your API in different programming languages.

  • Code generation: Automate the generation of code that interacts with your API, such as request and response objects.

  • API testing: Use the schema to test that your API is behaving as expected and to validate client requests.

Example

Scenario: Create an API for managing users.

Pydantic Model:

class User(BaseModel):
    id: int
    name: str
    email: str

OpenAPI Schema Generation:

import pydantic_openapi
from pydantic import BaseModel

class User(BaseModel):
    id: int
    name: str
    email: str

user_schema = pydantic_openapi.schema.schema(User)

with open('user_schema.json', 'w') as f:
    json.dump(user_schema, f, indent=4)

Generated OpenAPI Schema (Partial):

{
    "$schema": "http://json-schema.org/draft-04/schema#",
    "title": "User",
    "type": "object",
    "properties": {
        "id": {
            "type": "integer"
        },
        "name": {
            "type": "string"
        },
        "email": {
            "type": "string"
        }
    },
    "required": [
        "id",
        "name",
        "email"
    ]
}

This schema can be used to document the API, generate client SDKs, or automate testing.


GraphQL schema generation

GraphQL Schema Generation with Pydantic

Explanation:

GraphQL is a query language that allows clients to request specific data from a server. Pydantic is a Python library that helps you define data models and schemas. By combining Pydantic with GraphQL, you can easily generate GraphQL schemas from your data models.

Benefits:

  • Simplifies schema definition by using well-defined data models.

  • Ensures schema consistency and validity.

  • Reduces development time and improves maintainability.

How it Works:

Pydantic provides a pydantic_graphql.GraphQLBackend class that converts your data models into GraphQL schemas. Here's how it works:

1. Define Your Data Models:

from pydantic import BaseModel
class User(BaseModel):
    name: str
    email: str

2. Create a GraphQL Backend:

from pydantic_graphql.GraphQLBackend import GraphQLBackend
backend = GraphQLBackend()

3. Register Your Data Model:

backend.register_schema(User)

4. Generate the GraphQL Schema:

schema = backend.generate_schema()

The schema variable will now contain a GraphQL schema in the following format:

type User {
  name: String!
  email: String!
}

query {
  users: [User!]
}

Real-World Applications:

  • Building GraphQL APIs quickly and efficiently

  • Generating documentation for your GraphQL schemas

  • Ensuring data consistency and validation between clients and servers

Code Example:

Complete Code Implementation:

from pydantic import BaseModel
from pydantic_graphql.GraphQLBackend import GraphQLBackend

class User(BaseModel):
    name: str
    email: str

backend = GraphQLBackend()
backend.register_schema(User)
schema = backend.generate_schema()

print(schema)

Output:

type User {
  name: String!
  email: String!
}

query {
  users: [User!]
}

Potential Applications:

  • Building REST APIs: GraphQL can be used as an alternative to REST for building APIs as it offers greater flexibility and improved performance.

  • Creating Data Analytics Dashboards: GraphQL's query language enables seamless exploration and visualization of complex data structures.

  • Developing Mobile Applications: GraphQL can be used to build efficient and scalable mobile applications that need to access data from multiple sources.


Database schema generation

Database Schema Generation

What is it?

Database schema generation means creating tables and columns in a database based on a model defined in Python.

Why do we need it?

  • Automates database setup: No need to manually create tables and columns.

  • Consistency: Ensures that the database matches the Python model.

  • Documentation: Models serve as documentation for the database structure.

How it works:

  • We use the pydantic-sqlalchemy package.

  • We define a Python model using pydantic with annotations for SQLAlchemy data types.

  • We can then create the database schema based on the model using SQLAlchemy.create_all().

Example:

from pydantic import BaseModel
from sqlalchemy import Column, Integer, String
from sqlalchemy.orm import declarative_base

Base = declarative_base()

class User(Base):
    __tablename__ = "users"

    id = Column(Integer, primary_key=True)
    name = Column(String)

To create the schema:

from sqlalchemy import create_engine

engine = create_engine("postgresql://user:password@host:port/database")
Base.metadata.create_all(engine)

Real-World Applications:

  • Web applications: Automatically creating database tables for user data, product catalogs, etc.

  • Data analytics: Defining models for data analysis pipelines and generating tables for storing and processing data.

  • Machine learning: Generating tables for storing training data, models, and results.


Schema validation

Schema Validation

Imagine you have a company that makes software for ordering pizza. You want to store information about each pizza order, like the size, toppings, and customer details. To make sure that all orders are stored in a consistent way, you create a "PizzaOrder" schema.

What is a Schema?

A schema is like a blueprint for your data. It defines the rules that your data must follow, such as:

  • Which fields are required

  • What types of data can be stored in each field

  • What values are allowed

Why is Schema Validation Important?

Schema validation is important because it ensures that your data is:

  • Consistent: All data conforms to the same rules.

  • Reliable: You can trust that the data is accurate and complete.

  • Safe: Prevents malicious users from entering invalid data.

How to Use Schema Validation in Pydantic

Pydantic is a Python library that allows you to define schemas and validate data against them.

Example:

from pydantic import BaseModel

class PizzaOrder(BaseModel):
    size: str
    toppings: list[str]
    customer_name: str
    customer_address: str

This schema defines that a PizzaOrder must have:

  • A size field, which must be a string

  • A toppings field, which must be a list of strings

  • A customer_name field, which must be a string

  • A customer_address field, which must be a string

Validating Data

Once you have a schema, you can use it to validate data.

order = PizzaOrder(size="large", toppings=["pepperoni", "sausage"], customer_name="John Smith", customer_address="123 Main Street")

order.validate()  # No errors

If the data doesn't match the schema, Pydantic will raise an error.

invalid_order = PizzaOrder(size="small", toppings=123, customer_name=None, customer_address=123)

try:
    invalid_order.validate()
except ValidationError as e:
    print(e.errors())  # Prints the list of errors

Potential Applications

Schema validation is used in many real-world applications, such as:

  • Data cleaning: Validating data before it is stored in a database.

  • Data integration: Ensuring that data from different sources is compatible.

  • API development: Validating input and output data for web services.

  • Form validation: Checking that data entered into forms is valid.


Schema parsing

Sure, here is a simplified explanation of schema parsing in Pydantic, with code snippets and examples:

What is schema parsing?

Schema parsing is the process of converting a data structure (such as a JSON object) into a Python object, using a specified schema. A schema is a set of rules that define the structure and validation of the data.

How to use schema parsing in Pydantic?

To use schema parsing in Pydantic, you can use the parse_obj() function. This function takes two arguments:

  • The data structure you want to parse

  • The schema you want to use

For example, the following code snippet parses a JSON object into a Python object, using a schema defined by the MyModel class:

import pydantic

class MyModel(pydantic.BaseModel):
    name: str
    age: int

data = {
    "name": "John Doe",
    "age": 30
}

model = MyModel.parse_obj(data)

The model object will now be a Python object with the following attributes:

  • model.name: "John Doe"

  • model.age: 30

Benefits of using schema parsing

There are several benefits to using schema parsing in Pydantic, including:

  • Validation: Schema parsing can help you to validate the data you are parsing, ensuring that it meets the requirements of your schema.

  • Type conversion: Schema parsing can automatically convert the data you are parsing to the correct Python types, such as strings, integers, and floats.

  • Documentation: Schemas can provide documentation for your data, making it easier to understand the structure and requirements of your data.

Real-world applications of schema parsing

Schema parsing can be used in a variety of real-world applications, including:

  • Data validation: Schema parsing can be used to validate data from a variety of sources, such as web forms, APIs, and databases.

  • Data conversion: Schema parsing can be used to convert data from one format to another, such as JSON to CSV or XML to JSON.

  • Data documentation: Schemas can be used to document the structure and requirements of your data, making it easier for others to understand and use your data.

Complete code implementation

Here is a complete code implementation of schema parsing in Pydantic:

import pydantic

class MyModel(pydantic.BaseModel):
    name: str
    age: int

data = {
    "name": "John Doe",
    "age": 30
}

model = MyModel.parse_obj(data)

print(model.name)  # John Doe
print(model.age)  # 30

Potential applications in real world

Here are some potential applications of schema parsing in real world:

  • Web development: Schema parsing can be used to validate and convert data from web forms.

  • Data science: Schema parsing can be used to validate and convert data from a variety of sources, such as CSV files, JSON files, and XML files.

  • Machine learning: Schema parsing can be used to validate and convert data for use in machine learning models.


Schema serialization

Schema Serialization

Imagine you have a box filled with toys, but you want to store it away for later. To do this, you need to write down a list of everything in the box so you can remember it when you get it back. This is called serialization.

In Python, serialization is done using a library called Pydantic. Pydantic helps you create models (or boxes) and convert them into strings (or lists) and JSON (or detailed lists).

Models

Pydantic lets you create models by defining classes with fields. These fields represent the toys in your box. For example:

from pydantic import BaseModel

class ToyBox(BaseModel):
    toys: list[str]

This model represents a box of toys that contains a list of toys.

Serialization

To serialize a model, you use the json() function. This converts the model into a JSON string:

box = ToyBox(toys=["car", "ball", "doll"])
json_string = box.json()
print(json_string)

Output:

{"toys": ["car", "ball", "doll"]}

Deserialization

To get your toys back, you need to deserialize the JSON string. This converts the string back into a model:

new_box = ToyBox.parse_raw(json_string)
print(new_box.toys)

Output:

["car", "ball", "doll"]

Real-World Applications

Serialization is used in many real-world applications, such as:

  • Data storage: Serialized data can be stored in databases, files, or cloud storage.

  • Data transfer: Serialized data can be transferred over networks or between devices.

  • Object persistence: Serialized data can be used to save and restore objects, such as user settings or game states.


Schema conversion

Schema Conversion

Imagine you have a data structure (like a dictionary or a class) that you want to use with Pydantic. But Pydantic doesn't recognize the format of your data. That's where schema conversion comes in.

Converting to a Pydantic Model

To convert your data to a Pydantic model, you can use the parse_obj method. It takes two arguments:

  • data: Your original data

  • model: The Pydantic model you want to convert to

from pydantic import BaseModel

class Person(BaseModel):
    name: str
    age: int

data = {"name": "John", "age": 30}
person = Person.parse_obj(data)

Now, person is a Person object with the name and age fields set to the values from data.

Converting from a Pydantic Model

To convert a Pydantic model back to its original format, you can use the dict method. It returns a dictionary with the model's fields and values.

person_dict = person.dict()

Real-World Applications

Schema conversion is useful in many real-world applications, such as:

  • Data Validation: You can use Pydantic to validate data before it's used in your application. By converting your data to a Pydantic model, you can easily check for errors and inconsistencies.

  • Data Serialization: You can use Pydantic to serialize data into a specific format, such as JSON or XML. By converting your data to a Pydantic model, you can make sure it's represented in a consistent and predictable way.

  • Data Deserialization: You can use Pydantic to deserialize data from a specific format into a Python object. By converting the data into a Pydantic model, you can easily access and manipulate it in your code.


Schema customization

Schema Customization with Pydantic

Introduction

Pydantic is a Python library for data validation and serialization. It allows you to define custom schemas to describe the structure and constraints of your data.

Analogy

Think of schemas as blueprints for your data. They define the rules for what data is allowed and how it should be formatted.

Topics

1. Custom Types

  • Define new data types to validate specific data formats, like phone numbers or email addresses.

from pydantic import validator, BaseModel

class PhoneNumber(BaseModel):
    number: str
    
    @validator('number')
    def check_valid_phone_number(cls, value):
        if not value.startswith('+'):
            raise ValueError("Phone number must start with a '+'")
        return value

2. Custom Coercion

  • Convert data into a specific format when validating it.

from pydantic import BaseModel

class Price(BaseModel):
    amount: float
    currency: str
    
    @validator('amount', allow_reuse=True)
    def ensure_positive(cls, value):
        if value < 0:
            raise ValueError("Price must be positive")
        return value

3. Custom Error Messages

  • Define custom error messages for validation failures.

from pydantic import BaseModel

class User(BaseModel):
    name: str
    age: int
    
    @validator('age')
    def check_age_range(cls, value):
        if value < 18:
            raise ValueError("Users must be at least 18 years old")
        elif value > 120:
            raise ValueError("Users cannot be older than 120 years old")
        return value

4. Nested Schemas

  • Define complex data structures with nested schemas.

from pydantic import BaseModel

class Address(BaseModel):
    street: str
    city: str
    state: str
    zip_code: int

class User(BaseModel):
    name: str
    email: str
    address: Address

Real-World Applications

  • Data validation in APIs and web forms

  • Data serialization for storage or transmission

  • Data validation for machine learning pipelines

  • Data migration and conversion between formats

Conclusion

Schema customization with Pydantic provides powerful tools for defining and validating complex data structures. By creating custom types, coercing data, and defining custom error messages, you can ensure that your data meets your specific requirements.


Schema configuration

Schema Configuration

Introduction

A schema in Pydantic defines the structure and validation rules for data. It's like a blueprint for your data, ensuring it follows a specific format and contains the expected values.

Definition

Schema configuration consists of a set of options that define how your schema operates, including:

  • Field Configuration: Specifies the rules and options for each field in the schema.

  • Model Configuration: Sets global options for the entire schema, such as its title and description.

  • Custom Validation: Allows you to define additional validation rules beyond the built-in ones.

Field Configuration

Each field in your schema can have its own configuration:

  • Type: Define the expected type of data for the field (e.g., str, int, float).

  • Required: Indicates whether the field is required or optional.

  • Default: Provide a default value if the field is not provided.

  • Min/Max Values: Set minimum or maximum values for numerical or string fields.

  • Regex: Validate the field against a regular expression pattern.

Model Configuration

The model configuration applies to the entire schema:

  • Title: A human-readable name for the schema.

  • Description: A brief explanation of the purpose and usage of the schema.

  • Config: Additional configuration options, such as excluding certain fields from JSON serialization.

Custom Validation

Pydantic provides a framework for defining custom validation rules using Python functions:

  • validate(value): Checks if the value is valid according to your custom rules.

  • error_msg(value): Provides an error message if the value is invalid.

Real-World Examples

1. User Registration Form:

from pydantic import BaseModel

class User(BaseModel):
    name: str
    email: str
    age: int
    
    class Config:
        title = "User Registration"
        description = "Form for registering new users."

2. Product Catalog:

from pydantic import BaseModel

class Product(BaseModel):
    name: str
    price: float
    description: str
    
    class Config:
        exclude = {"description"}  # Don't include "description" in JSON output.

3. Custom Validation for Color:

from pydantic import BaseModel, validator

class Item(BaseModel):
    color: str
    
    @validator("color")
    def validate_color(cls, value):
        if value not in ["red", "green", "blue"]:
            raise ValueError("Invalid color. Must be 'red', 'green', or 'blue'.")

Applications

  • Data Validation: Ensuring data meets specific requirements.

  • Data Structure: Defining the shape and format of data.

  • API Contracts: Communicating the expected input and output data for APIs.

  • Data Integrity: Maintaining the consistency of data across applications.


Input validation

Input Validation with Pydantic

Pydantic is a Python library for data validation and serialization. It helps ensure that the data you receive from users or other sources meets your expectations.

Data Models

The first step in using Pydantic for input validation is to define your data model. This defines the structure and constraints of the data you expect to receive. For example:

from pydantic import BaseModel

class User(BaseModel):
    name: str
    age: int
    email: str

This model defines a User class with three fields: name, age, and email.

Validators

Pydantic provides a number of built-in validators that you can use to define the constraints for your data model. For example:

  • Field(max_length=255): Enforces a maximum length for the field.

  • Field(regex="^[a-z]+$"): Enforces a regular expression pattern for the field.

  • Field(gt=0): Enforces that the field is greater than a certain value.

Validation

Once you have defined your data model, you can use it to validate incoming data. Pydantic provides two ways to do this:

  • Manual validation: You can manually create a model instance and call the validate() method on it.

  • Automatic validation: You can use Pydantic's validate_arguments decorator to automatically validate function arguments.

Code Example

Here is an example of how to use Pydantic for automatic validation:

from pydantic import BaseModel, validate_arguments

class User(BaseModel):
    name: str
    age: int
    email: str

@validate_arguments
def create_user(name: str, age: int, email: str):
    # Create a new user using the validated data
    user = User(name=name, age=age, email=email)
    return user

This code defines a create_user() function that takes three arguments. The validate_arguments decorator ensures that these arguments are validated according to the User model before the function is executed.

Real World Applications

Input validation is essential in many real-world applications, including:

  • Web APIs

  • Data ingestion pipelines

  • Data analysis and visualization

  • Machine learning models


Output validation

Output Validation

Pydantic is a library for validating and parsing data in Python. It can be used to ensure that the data you receive from external sources, such as APIs or user input, is in the format you expect.

One important aspect of data validation is output validation. This involves checking that the data you produce from your application meets certain criteria. For example, you might want to ensure that all of your API responses have a valid JSON format.

Pydantic provides several features for output validation:

  • Field validators: You can use field validators to check the value of individual fields. For example, you can use the min_length validator to ensure that a string field has a minimum length.

  • Model validators: You can use model validators to check the overall structure and content of your data models. For example, you can use the json validator to ensure that a data model is a valid JSON object.

  • Custom validators: You can also write your own custom validators to check for specific conditions that are not covered by the built-in validators.

Example

The following example shows how to use output validation to ensure that all of your API responses have a valid JSON format:

from pydantic import BaseModel, Field, validator

class MyResponseModel(BaseModel):
    name: str = Field(..., min_length=1)
    age: int = Field(..., gt=0)

    @validator("age")
    def age_must_be_positive(cls, v):
        if v < 0:
            raise ValueError("age must be positive")
        return v

In this example, the MyResponseModel class has two fields: name and age. The name field must be a string with a minimum length of 1 character. The age field must be an integer greater than 0.

The @validator decorator is used to define a custom validator for the age field. This validator checks that the value of the age field is positive. If the value is not positive, the validator raises a ValueError.

Real-World Applications

Output validation is important in a variety of real-world applications, including:

  • API development: Output validation can help you to ensure that your APIs return data in a consistent and reliable format. This can make it easier for clients to consume your APIs and avoid errors.

  • Data processing: Output validation can help you to clean and transform data before it is used in your application. This can help to improve the quality of your data and reduce the risk of errors.

  • Security: Output validation can help you to protect your application from malicious input. For example, you can use output validation to check that user input does not contain any harmful characters or code.


Input parsing

Input Parsing with Pydantic

What is Input Parsing?

Input parsing is the process of converting raw input data into a structured format that can be easily processed by a program. Pydantic is a Python library that simplifies this process by providing a way to define the expected structure of input data and automatically convert it to the correct format.

Defining Input Data Structure

To define the structure of input data, you create a Pydantic model class. Each attribute of the model represents a field in the input data. You can specify the data type, requiredness, and other constraints for each field.

from pydantic import BaseModel

class Person(BaseModel):
    name: str
    age: int
    email: str

In this example, the Person model defines three fields: name (a string), age (an integer), and email (a string).

Parsing Input Data

Once you have defined the input data structure, you can use Pydantic to parse raw input data into that structure. This is done using the parse_obj function:

input_data = {"name": "John", "age": 30, "email": "john@example.com"}
person = Person.parse_obj(input_data)

The parse_obj function will validate the input data against the model definition and convert it to the appropriate format. In this case, it will create a Person object with the specified name, age, and email address.

Real-World Applications

Input parsing is essential in many real-world applications, such as:

  • Data validation: Ensuring that input data meets certain criteria before processing it.

  • Data transformation: Converting input data into a format that is compatible with other systems or processes.

  • Data sanitization: Removing malicious or unwanted data from input data to prevent security vulnerabilities.

Complete Example

Here is a complete example of input parsing with Pydantic:

from pydantic import BaseModel

class Customer(BaseModel):
    first_name: str
    last_name: str
    email: str

def process_customer(customer: Customer):
    # Process the customer data...

# Parse input data
input_data = {"first_name": "John", "last_name": "Doe", "email": "john.doe@example.com"}
customer = Customer.parse_obj(input_data)

# Process the customer
process_customer(customer)

In this example, we define a Customer model and use it to parse input data. Once the data is parsed, we can process it using the process_customer function.


Output parsing

Output Parsing in Pydantic

Pydantic is a Python library for data validation and modeling. It allows you to define models representing your data structures, and it automatically validates and parses input and output data based on these models.

1. Parsing Output to Public Data Structures

  • Purpose: Convert Pydantic models (which may have private fields or methods) to public data structures (e.g., dicts or lists) that can be used outside your Pydantic code.

  • Syntax: Use the to_orm() method: model_instance.to_orm(exclude_unset=True)

  • Real-World Example: Sending Pydantic model data to an external API or database that expects public data structures.

from pydantic import BaseModel

class User(BaseModel):
    id: int
    name: str

user = User(id=1, name="John")
user_data = user.to_orm()  # {'id': 1, 'name': 'John'}

2. Using Custom Expansion Functions

  • Purpose: Define custom functions to transform model fields during parsing.

  • Syntax: Create a function annotated with pydantic.expandable.dataclass_transform: @pydantic.expandable.dataclass_transform

  • Real-World Example: Converting dates to ISO strings or filtering out sensitive data during parsing.

from pydantic import BaseModel, Field, expandables
import datetime

class User(BaseModel):
    id: int = Field(..., description="User ID")
    name: str = Field(..., description="User name")
    birthdate: datetime.date = Field(..., description="User birthdate")

@expandables.dataclass_transform
class UserORM:
    id: int
    name: str
    birthdate: str

user = User(id=1, name="John", birthdate=datetime.date(1990, 1, 1))
user_data = UserORM.from_orm(user)  # {'id': 1, 'name': 'John', 'birthdate': '1990-01-01'}

3. Ignoring Private Fields

  • Purpose: Exclude private fields from parsed output.

  • Syntax: Use the exclude_private argument in the to_orm() method: model_instance.to_orm(exclude_private=True)

  • Real-World Example: Protecting sensitive or internal fields from being exposed in external data structures.

from pydantic import BaseModel

class User(BaseModel):
    id: int = Field(..., private=True)
    name: str = Field(..., private=True)

user = User(id=1, name="John")
user_data = user.to_orm(exclude_private=True)  # {}

Integration with web frameworks (e.g., FastAPI, Flask)

Integration with Web Frameworks

When creating APIs with Python web frameworks like FastAPI and Flask, we often need to validate and receive data in a structured manner. That's where Pydantic comes in handy.

Pydantic in a Nutshell

Pydantic is a Python library that allows you to define your data models in a very concise and easy-to-read way, and then it provides tools to:

  • Validate data against these models

  • Convert data into the specified models

  • Create documentation from your models

Integration with FastAPI

FastAPI is a modern, high-performance web framework that is gaining a lot of popularity. It's built around the async/await model, which makes it very efficient for handling multiple requests concurrently.

To integrate Pydantic with FastAPI, you can use the @pydantic decorator for your request and response models. Here's an example:

from pydantic import BaseModel
from fastapi import FastAPI, Body

class User(BaseModel):
    name: str
    age: int

app = FastAPI()

@app.post("/users")
async def create_user(user: User = Body(...)):
    # Validate and use the User object here
    return {"id": 1, "name": user.name, "age": user.age}

In this example, the User class defines the structure of the data that we expect to receive. The @pydantic decorator on the create_user function tells FastAPI to validate the incoming data against the User model.

Integration with Flask

Flask is another popular web framework for Python. It's very lightweight and provides a lot of flexibility.

To integrate Pydantic with Flask, you can use the marshmallow-pydantic library. This library provides a bridge between Pydantic and Flask's built-in Marshmallow validation framework.

Here's an example:

from pydantic import BaseModel
from flask import Flask, request

class User(BaseModel):
    name: str
    age: int

app = Flask(__name__)

@app.route("/users", methods=["POST"])
def create_user():
    user_data = request.get_json()
    user = User(**user_data)  # Validate and create User object

    # Validate and use the User object here
    return {"id": 1, "name": user.name, "age": user.age}

In this example, we use the User class to define the data model and then use the User(**user_data) syntax to validate and create a User object from the incoming JSON data.

Real-World Applications

Integrating Pydantic with web frameworks offers numerous benefits in real-world applications, such as:

  • Improved data validation: Pydantic provides a robust data validation mechanism, ensuring that your API only accepts valid data.

  • Consistent data representation: Using Pydantic models, you can ensure consistent data representation across different parts of your application.

  • Automated documentation: Pydantic models can be used to generate documentation for your API, making it easier for users to understand the expected data format.

  • Improved code readability: Pydantic models enhance code readability by clearly defining the data structure of your API.


Compatibility with different Python versions

Compatibility with Different Python Versions

Python 3.6+ is Required

Pydantic requires Python 3.6 or later. This is because Pydantic relies on features introduced in Python 3.6, such as type hints and dataclasses.

Python 2 is Not Supported

Pydantic does not support Python 2. This is because Python 2 is no longer supported by the Python community, and it lacks many of the features that Pydantic relies on.

Real-World Examples

  • A web API that uses Pydantic to validate input data.

  • A data science pipeline that uses Pydantic to ensure that data is in the correct format.

  • A configuration management system that uses Pydantic to validate configuration files.

Potential Applications

  • Data validation

  • Data modeling

  • Configuration management

  • API development

  • Data science pipelines


Community support

Community Support

1. Discussion Forum

  • Simplified Explanation: A place where you can ask questions, get help, and share ideas related to Pydantic.

  • Real-World Example: Ask for help with validating a complex data structure.

# Code Snippet:
from pydantic import BaseModel

class User(BaseModel):
    username: str
    email: str

user = User(username="john", email="john@example.com")

2. Discord Channel

  • Simplified Explanation: A real-time chat platform where you can join discussions and get instant support.

  • Real-World Example: Join a conversation about using Pydantic with a specific web framework.

3. Stack Overflow

  • Simplified Explanation: A Q&A platform where you can find questions and answers related to Pydantic.

  • Real-World Example: Search for solutions to a specific error message you're getting.

4. GitHub Issues

  • Simplified Explanation: A place to report bugs, request features, and contribute to the development of Pydantic.

  • Real-World Example: Create an issue to report a bug in the documentation.

Potential Applications:

  • Getting help with using Pydantic for data validation in APIs.

  • Troubleshooting issues and finding solutions.

  • Staying up-to-date on the latest developments and best practices.

  • Contributing to the Pydantic community by reporting bugs and suggesting improvements.


Documentation and resources

1. Schema Definition

Simplified Explanation:

A schema is like a blueprint that defines the structure and rules for your data. It tells your code what fields are allowed, what types they should be, and what values they can have.

Code Example:

from pydantic import BaseModel

class MySchema(BaseModel):
    name: str
    age: int
    email: str

Real-World Application:

  • Validating user input in web forms

  • Ensuring data sent over the network is consistent and well-formed

2. Data Validation

Simplified Explanation:

Data validation is the process of checking if your data meets the rules defined in your schema. Pydantic can automatically validate data for you, raising exceptions if any errors are found.

Code Example:

data = {
    "name": "John",
    "age": 30,
    "email": "john@example.com"
}

schema = MySchema(**data)

If any of the fields in data don't match the schema, a ValidationError exception will be raised.

Real-World Application:

  • Preventing invalid data from being stored in your database

  • Ensuring that data sent to external systems is valid

3. Serialization and Deserialization

Simplified Explanation:

Serialization is the process of converting your data into a format that can be stored or transmitted. Deserialization is the reverse process, converting data back into an object. Pydantic supports both JSON and YAML formats for serialization/deserialization.

Code Example:

json_data = schema.json()
yaml_data = schema.yaml()

new_schema = MySchema.parse_raw(json_data)

Real-World Application:

  • Storing data in databases (JSON or YAML)

  • Sending data over the network

  • Converting data to different formats for different systems

4. Data Binding

Simplified Explanation:

Data binding is the process of attaching data to a schema or model. This allows you to easily access and manipulate data using the schema's fields and methods.

Code Example:

schema.name = "Jane"
print(schema.age)

Real-World Application:

  • Populating forms with data from a database

  • Binding data to GUI elements for easy editing and display


Common pitfalls

Common Pitfalls

1. Overriding custom type hints with the type_ keyword

Problem: When you declare a custom type hint for a field, and then use the type_ keyword to override it, the custom type hint will be ignored.

Solution: Don't use the type_ keyword when you're declaring a custom type hint. Instead, use the field's type annotation to declare the type.

from pydantic import BaseModel

class ExampleModel(BaseModel):
    foo: int = 123
    
    # Incorrect use of type_ to Override
    # foo will be str type, instead of int
    foo: str = "abc"

2. Using Any or Union with a custom type hint

Problem: When you use Any or Union with a custom type hint, the custom type hint will be ignored.

Solution: Don't use Any or Union with a custom type hint. Instead, create a new custom type hint that combines the types you want to allow.

from pydantic import BaseModel, Union

# Incorrect use of Union with custom type hint
class ExampleModel(BaseModel):
    foo: Union[int, float]
    
    # Correct approach to create a new custom type hint
    class Foo(BaseModel):
        value: Union[int, float]

    foo: Foo

3. Using a custom type hint that is not a subclass of BaseModel

Problem: When you use a custom type hint that is not a subclass of BaseModel, Pydantic will not be able to validate the data for that field.

Solution: Make sure that your custom type hint is a subclass of BaseModel.

from pydantic import BaseModel

# Incorrect use of non-BaseModel custom type hint
class ExampleModel(BaseModel):
    foo: MyCustomType
    
    # Correct approach
    class MyCustomType(BaseModel):
        value: int
    
    foo: MyCustomType

4. Using a custom type hint that has a __init__ method with required parameters

Problem: When you use a custom type hint that has a __init__ method with required parameters, Pydantic will not be able to create instances of that type.

Solution: Make sure that your custom type hint's __init__ method does not have any required parameters.

from pydantic import BaseModel

# Incorrect use of custom type hint with required __init__ parameters
class ExampleModel(BaseModel):
    foo: MyCustomType
    
    # Correct approach
    class MyCustomType(BaseModel):
        def __init__(self, value: int):
            self.value = value
    
    foo: MyCustomType

5. Using a custom type hint that does not have a default value

Problem: When you use a custom type hint that does not have a default value, Pydantic will not be able to create instances of that type.

Solution: Make sure that your custom type hint has a default value.

from pydantic import BaseModel

# Incorrect use of custom type hint without default value
class ExampleModel(BaseModel):
    foo: MyCustomType
    
    # Correct approach
    class MyCustomType(BaseModel):
        value: int = 0
    
    foo: MyCustomType

6. Using a custom type hint that is not JSON serializable

Problem: When you use a custom type hint that is not JSON serializable, Pydantic will not be able to serialize the data for that field.

Solution: Make sure that your custom type hint is JSON serializable.

from pydantic import BaseModel
import json

# Incorrect use of non-JSON serializable custom type hint
class ExampleModel(BaseModel):
    foo: MyCustomType
    
    # Correct approach
    class MyCustomType(BaseModel):
        value: int

        def to_json(self):
            return json.dumps(self.value)
    
    foo: MyCustomType

7. Using a custom type hint that is not hashable

Problem: When you use a custom type hint that is not hashable, Pydantic will not be able to use it as a key in a dictionary.

Solution: Make sure that your custom type hint is hashable.

from pydantic import BaseModel

# Incorrect use of non-hashable custom type hint
class ExampleModel(BaseModel):
    foo: MyCustomType
    
    # Correct approach
    class MyCustomType(BaseModel):
        value: int

        def __hash__(self):
            return hash(self.value)
    
    foo: MyCustomType

8. Using a custom type hint that does not implement the comparison operators

Problem: When you use a custom type hint that does not implement the comparison operators, Pydantic will not be able to compare instances of that type.

Solution: Make sure that your custom type hint implements the comparison operators.

from pydantic import BaseModel

# Incorrect use of custom type hint without comparison operators
class ExampleModel(BaseModel):
    foo: MyCustomType
    
    # Correct approach
    class MyCustomType(BaseModel):
        value: int

        def __eq__(self, other):
            return self.value == other.value

        def __lt__(self, other):
            return self.value < other.value

        # Implement other comparison operators as needed
    
    foo: MyCustomType

Best practices

Best Practices for Using Pydantic

1. Use Type Hints for All Fields

class User(BaseModel):
    name: str
    age: int
    is_active: bool

This ensures that the data you pass to your model is of the correct type. If you pass in a string for age, for example, Pydantic will automatically convert it to an integer.

2. Use Default Values for Optional Fields

class User(BaseModel):
    name: str
    age: int = 0

This allows you to specify a default value for fields that are not always present. If you don't provide a value for age when creating a User instance, it will default to 0.

3. Use Enums for Finite Sets of Values

from enum import Enum

class Gender(Enum):
    male = "male"
    female = "female"
    other = "other"

class User(BaseModel):
    gender: Gender

This allows you to restrict the values that a field can take to a specific set of choices. In this example, the gender field can only take one of the values from the Gender enum.

4. Use Nested Models for Complex Data Structures

class Address(BaseModel):
    street: str
    city: str
    state: str
    zip_code: str

class User(BaseModel):
    name: str
    address: Address

This allows you to model complex data structures, such as nested objects. In this example, the User model contains an address field, which is itself a Address model.

5. Use Validation to Enforce Constraints

class User(BaseModel):
    name: str
    age: int = Field(gt=18)

This allows you to specify validation rules for your fields. In this example, the age field must be greater than 18. If you try to create a User instance with an age of less than 18, Pydantic will raise a ValidationError.

Real-World Applications

  • Validating user input: Use Pydantic to validate the input data from your users. This can help you prevent errors and ensure that your data is in the correct format.

  • Modeling complex data structures: Use Pydantic to model complex data structures, such as nested objects or hierarchical data. This can help you organize your data and make it easier to work with.

  • Enforcing constraints: Use Pydantic to enforce constraints on your data. This can help you prevent errors and ensure that your data is consistent.

  • Generating documentation: Use Pydantic to generate documentation for your models. This can help you understand the structure of your data and how to use it.


Security considerations

Security Considerations

When using Pydantic to handle data, it's important to keep these security considerations in mind:

1. Data Validation:

  • Pydantic's validation feature helps ensure that incoming data meets certain criteria (like type, range, etc.).

  • This prevents malicious users from sending invalid data that could crash your application or expose sensitive information.

Example:

from pydantic import BaseModel

class User(BaseModel):
    username: str
    email: str
    password: str

user = User(username="admin", email="admin@example.com", password="secret")

2. Data Sanitization:

  • Pydantic can be used to sanitize data by removing or replacing sensitive characters or information.

  • This helps protect against against cross-site scripting (XSS) and other types of attacks.

Example:

from pydantic import BaseModel

class Message(BaseModel):
    message: str

message = Message(message="<script>alert('XSS Alert');</script>")  # Unsafe message
message.message = message.message.replace("<", "&lt;").replace(">", "&gt;")  # Sanitized message

3. Model Binding:

  • Pydantic allows you to bind data models to request objects in web frameworks like Django or FastAPI.

  • This helps ensure that data is validated and sanitized before it reaches your application logic.

Example:

from pydantic import BaseModel
from fastapi import FastAPI

app = FastAPI()

class Order(BaseModel):
    product_id: int
    quantity: int

@app.post("/orders")
def create_order(order: Order):
    # Order data is automatically validated and parsed
    pass

4. Data Serialization:

  • Pydantic can be used to serialize data into JSON or other formats.

  • This helps protect against tampering, as the serialized data can be validated against the original data model.

Example:

from pydantic import BaseModel

class User(BaseModel):
    username: str
    email: str

user = User(username="admin", email="admin@example.com")
json_data = user.json()  # Serialized JSON data

Potential Applications:

Pydantic's security features are useful in various scenarios, including:

  • Web APIs: Validating and sanitizing user input, protecting against malicious requests.

  • Form Validation: Ensuring data in web forms meets certain criteria before submission.

  • Data Exchange: Serializing data in a secure manner when exchanging it with other systems.

  • Model Binding: Binding validated data models to objects in web frameworks.


Performance optimization

Pydantic Performance Optimization

Topic 1: Use Field for Required Fields

Explanation: When using Field, Pydantic can skip type checking for required fields, making it faster.

Code Snippet:

from pydantic import BaseModel, Field

class User(BaseModel):
    name: str = Field(...)  # Required field

Topic 2: Disable Schema Validation

Explanation: Schema validation can be computationally expensive. Disable it if you don't need to validate the model against the schema.

Code Snippet:

from pydantic import BaseModel

class User(BaseModel):
    name: str

    # Disable schema validation
    class Config:
        validate_assignment = False

Topic 3: Use Config.arbitrary_types_allowed

Explanation: Setting arbitrary_types_allowed to True allows Pydantic to skip type checking for unknown types, making it faster.

Code Snippet:

from pydantic import BaseModel

class User(BaseModel):
    name: str

    class Config:
        arbitrary_types_allowed = True

Topic 4: Use Custom Type Converters

Explanation: Custom type converters can improve performance by converting values to a more efficient format.

Code Snippet:

from pydantic import BaseModel, validator

class User(BaseModel):
    age: int

    @validator('age')
    def convert_to_int(cls, v):
        return int(v)

Topic 5: Bulk Validation

Explanation: Bulk validation can improve performance by validating multiple instances of a model at once.

Code Snippet:

from pydantic import BaseModel, validator

class User(BaseModel):
    name: str

    @validator('name')
    def validate_name(cls, values):
        return [v.lower() for v in values]

Real-World Applications

  • Use Field for required fields when performance is critical, such as in high-frequency trading systems.

  • Disable schema validation when the model is not used for schema validation, such as in data pipelines.

  • Use Config.arbitrary_types_allowed when dealing with unknown or dynamic data types, such as in JSON parsing.

  • Use custom type converters to optimize data handling, such as converting timestamps to datetime objects.

  • Use bulk validation to speed up model validation when dealing with large datasets, such as in customer databases.


Use cases and examples

Use Cases

1. Data Validation:

  • Ensure data received from external sources (e.g., APIs, forms) meets defined criteria before being processed.

  • Example: Validate a user's email address before creating an account.

2. Data Modelling:

  • Create reusable models that represent real-world entities, such as customers, products, or invoices.

  • Example: Define a model for a Customer object, including attributes for name, email, and address.

3. Data Serialization/Deserialization:

  • Convert data objects into JSON, XML, or other formats for storage or transmission.

  • Example: Serialize a Customer object to JSON for storing in a database.

4. Form Validation:

  • Validate data submitted in forms to ensure it meets certain criteria (e.g., non-empty fields, correct data types).

  • Example: Validate a registration form to ensure that the password and confirmation password match.

5. Configuration Management:

  • Define and validate configuration settings for applications or systems.

  • Example: Define a Settings model for specifying database connection parameters.

Examples

1. Data Validation:

from pydantic import Field, BaseModel

class User(BaseModel):
    name: str = Field(min_length=3, max_length=20)
    email: str = Field(regex="^\S+@\S+\.\S+$")

This model defines a User object with validated attributes: name must be 3-20 characters, and email must match the specified regex pattern.

2. Data Modelling:

from pydantic import BaseModel

class Invoice(BaseModel):
    customer_id: int
    invoice_date: datetime.date
    line_items: list[dict]

This model represents an invoice with attributes for customer ID, invoice date, and a list of line items.

3. Data Serialization/Deserialization:

from pydantic import BaseModel

class Customer(BaseModel):
    name: str
    email: str

customer = Customer(name="John", email="john@example.com")

json_data = customer.json()  # Serialize to JSON

4. Form Validation:

from pydantic import validator, ValidationError

class RegistrationForm(BaseModel):
    email: str
    password: str
    confirm_password: str

    @validator("confirm_password")
    def check_password_match(cls, value, values, **kwargs):
        if value != values["password"]:
            raise ValidationError("Passwords do not match.")

This model defines a registration form with a custom validator to ensure that confirm_password matches password.

5. Configuration Management:

from pydantic import BaseModel

class Settings(BaseModel):
    host: str
    port: int
    debug: bool

This model defines configuration settings for an application.

Real-World Applications

  • E-commerce: Validate customer orders, product data, and payment information.

  • Banking: Ensure compliance with financial regulations by validating transactions and account details.

  • Healthcare: Model and validate patient information, diagnosis data, and treatment plans.

  • IoT: Define and validate device configurations, sensor data, and telemetry.

  • Web development: Validate user registrations, form submissions, and API requests.