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Python Academy · Lesson

itertools: Infinite and Finite Iterators

Use count, cycle, islice, chain, and zip_longest.

Lesson 1 of 413 steps

itertools: Infinite and Finite Iterators is a free Python Academy lesson on CoddyKit. This is lesson 1 of 4. You can read the complete lesson below for free — then practise it hands-on in the browser with a built-in code editor and a 24/7 AI tutor. It is part of the Python Academy learning path, and your progress syncs across the web and the CoddyKit app. The Python Academy course includes 4 lessons in total.

What Is itertools?

itertools is a standard library module providing memory-efficient iterator building blocks. All functions return iterators, not lists.

import itertools

# count: infinite counter
for i in itertools.islice(itertools.count(10, 2), 5):
    print(i, end=" ")  # 10 12 14 16 18

count()

count(start, step) produces an infinite arithmetic sequence. Always pair with islice or a break condition.

import itertools

for n in itertools.count(1, 10):
    if n > 40:
        break
    print(n, end=" ")  # 1 11 21 31 41

cycle()

cycle(iterable) repeats the iterable infinitely.

import itertools

colors = itertools.cycle(["red","green","blue"])
for _ in range(7):
    print(next(colors), end=" ")
# red green blue red green blue red

repeat()

repeat(value, times) yields the same value times times (infinite if omitted).

import itertools
print(list(itertools.repeat(42, 4)))   # [42, 42, 42, 42]
print(list(map(pow, range(5), itertools.repeat(2))))
# [0, 1, 4, 9, 16]

islice()

islice(it, stop) or islice(it, start, stop, step) slices an iterator without materialising it.

import itertools

result = list(itertools.islice(range(100), 2, 10, 2))
print(result)  # [2, 4, 6, 8]

chain()

chain(*iterables) chains multiple iterables end-to-end into one iterator.

import itertools

result = list(itertools.chain([1,2], [3,4], [5]))
print(result)  # [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]

# chain.from_iterable for a list of iterables:
nested = [[1,2],[3,4]]
print(list(itertools.chain.from_iterable(nested)))

zip_longest()

zip_longest zips iterables of unequal length, filling missing values with a fillvalue.

import itertools

a = [1, 2, 3]
b = ["a", "b"]
print(list(itertools.zip_longest(a, b, fillvalue=0)))
# [(1, "a"), (2, "b"), (3, 0)]

dropwhile() and takewhile()

takewhile(pred, it) yields items while the predicate is true. dropwhile does the opposite.

import itertools

nums = [1, 3, 5, 6, 7, 9]
print(list(itertools.takewhile(lambda x: x % 2, nums)))
# [1, 3, 5]

print(list(itertools.dropwhile(lambda x: x % 2, nums)))
# [6, 7, 9]

filterfalse()

filterfalse(pred, it) yields elements where the predicate is False — the complement of filter().

import itertools

evens = list(itertools.filterfalse(lambda x: x%2, range(10)))
print(evens)  # [0, 2, 4, 6, 8]

starmap()

starmap(func, iterable) applies a function to each tuple of arguments from an iterable.

import itertools, operator

pairs = [(2,3),(4,5),(1,10)]
result = list(itertools.starmap(operator.mul, pairs))
print(result)  # [6, 20, 10]

groupby()

groupby(it, key) groups consecutive elements with the same key value. Sort the iterable first for correct grouping.

import itertools

data = sorted([("a",1),("b",2),("a",3)], key=lambda x:x[0])
for key, group in itertools.groupby(data, key=lambda x:x[0]):
    print(key, list(group))

Quick Check

What does itertools.chain([1,2], [3,4]) produce?

Answer it in the interactive lesson

Recap

itertools provides infinite iterators (count, cycle, repeat), slicing (islice), combination (chain, zip_longest), and filtering (takewhile, dropwhile, filterfalse). All are lazy and memory-efficient.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Is the “itertools: Infinite and Finite Iterators” lesson free?

Yes — the full text of “itertools: Infinite and Finite Iterators” is free to read here on the web. To practise it interactively (a built-in code editor and a 24/7 AI tutor) and unlock the rest of the Python Academy course, upgrade to CoddyKit PRO. The Python Academy course includes 4 lessons in total.

What will I learn in “itertools: Infinite and Finite Iterators”?

Use count, cycle, islice, chain, and zip_longest. You practise Python Academy with hands-on code you run directly in the browser, and a 24/7 AI tutor answers your questions as you work through the lesson.

Do I need any experience to start Python Academy?

No prior experience is required. Python Academy on CoddyKit is structured for beginners through advanced learners, so you can start here or from the beginning and move at your own pace. This is lesson 1 of 4.

How long does the “itertools: Infinite and Finite Iterators” lesson take?

Most CoddyKit lessons take about 5–10 minutes. Each one is bite-sized and interactive, so you make steady progress and pick up exactly where you left off across the web and the app.

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All lessons in this course

  1. itertools: Infinite and Finite Iterators
  2. itertools: Combinatorics
  3. functools: partial and reduce
  4. functools: lru_cache and cached_property
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