Category: Python 3

How to read a file in S3 and store it in a String using Python and boto3

If you want to get a file from an S3 Bucket and then put it in a Python string, try the examples below.

boto3, the AWS SDK for Python, offers two distinct methods for accessing files or objects in Amazon S3: client method and the resource method.

Option 1 uses the boto3.client('s3') method, while options 2 and 3 use the boto3.resource('s3') method.

All 3 options do the exact same thing so get the one that you feel comfortable with or the one that will fit your use case.

Continue reading How to read a file in S3 and store it in a String using Python and boto3

How to read a JSON file in S3 and store it in a Dictionary using boto3 and Python

If you want to get a JSON file from an S3 Bucket and load it into a Python Dictionary then you can use the example codes below.

There are 4 scenarios for the examples scripts below.

  1. Basic JSON file from S3 to Python Dictionary
  2. With Try/Except block
  3. With datetime, date, and time conversions
  4. Running the code in a Lambda Function

AWS boto3 provides 2 ways to access S3 files, the boto3.client('s3') and boto3.resource('s3'). For each of the example scenarios above, a code will be provided for the two methods.

Related: Writing a Dictionary to JSON file in S3 using boto3 and Python

Since both methods will function the same, you can choose whichever method you like.

Continue reading How to read a JSON file in S3 and store it in a Dictionary using boto3 and Python

Installing MySQLdb for Python 3 in Windows

My favorite Python connector for MySQL or MariaDB is MySQLdb, the problem with this connector is that it is complicated to install on Windows!

I am creating this article for those who want to install MySQLdb for Python 3 for Windows. Especially me, since each time I am doing a Python project that needs to connect to MariaDB or MySQL I always look on how to install MySQLdb.

If you are interested why I prefer MySQLdb compared to other MySQL connectors you may want to read the comparison of MySQL-connector and MySQLdb from Charles Nagy.

Problems with installing MySQLdb on Windows

You can actually install MySQLdb using pip. See pypi documentation here.

pip install MySQL-python

Unfortunately, the pypi documentation is already out of date with the latest release was on Jan 3, 2014. Continue reading Installing MySQLdb for Python 3 in Windows