randomness 0.2.0

Provide several randomness sources in Python with a common API

Randomness Sources for Python

Current Features

• unified API to randomness sources
• API access to the system's true randomness generator
• a list of randomness providers to choose from
• provider flags which you can filter for

Planned Features

• comprehensive tests for randomness quality (dieharder, ENT, ...)
• more PRNGs (Wichmann-Hill, xorshift, ...)
• more TRNGs (VIA Padlock RNG, external hardware, ...)
• better API to filter and sort providers
• choice between wasteful and conserving usage of random bits, the latter most likely with a mixin
• adapter to provide the Numpy API for all randomness sources, most likely by way of a mixin

Usage

You can instantiate a randomness source directly if you know it's there (or if you handle the exception in case it's not):

from randomness import URandom

try:
    from randomness import Random

except ImportError:
    pass

random = URandom()

Or you can peruse the list of providers and select one out of those (possibly filtering the list first):

from randomness import PROVIDERS, ProviderFlag

# filter randomness providers
my_providers = [provider for provider in PROVIDERS
                if provider.flags & ProviderFlag.NEVER_BLOCKING]

# dump provider names
for provider in my_providers:
    print(provider.name)

# instantiate a randomness context
chosen_provider = my_providers[0]
random = chosen_provider.cls()

From this point forward usage is the same as if you had done from random import Random; random = Random().

# perform a die roll
die_result = random.randint(1, 6)
print(die_result)

# select a random cheese
CHEESE_SHOP_PRODUCTS = ["Tilsit", "Cheddar", "Roquefort", "Gouda"]
cheese = random.choice(CHEESE_SHOP_PRODUCTS)
print(cheese)

# draw lottery numbers
amount_of_numbers = 49
amount_to_draw = 6
series = random.sample(range(1, amount_of_numbers + 1),
                       amount_to_draw)
print(series)