Automate the boring stuff with Python

Free

Learn Python by automating everyday tasks

FreeFree tier

Type

Open Source

Visit Website GitHub (40 stars)

About Automate the boring stuff with Python

Automate the Boring Stuff with Python is a bestselling, free-to-read book by Al Sweigart that teaches Python programming through practical automation projects. With over 500,000 copies sold, it guides complete beginners to write programs that can search the web, manipulate files and spreadsheets, extract data from PDFs and Word documents, send emails, control the keyboard and mouse, and more. The book is available under a Creative Commons license and covers Python fundamentals like strings, lists, dictionaries, regular expressions, and debugging before diving into real-world automation tasks. The third edition includes updated chapters on Google Sheets, SQLite databases, text-to-speech, and speech recognition.

Key Features

Covers Python fundamentals with clear explanations for beginners

Teaches web scraping, downloading content, and filling out forms

Automates file copying, moving, renaming, and compression

Splits, merges, and extracts text from PDFs and Word documents

Manages Excel and Google Sheets spreadsheets programmatically

Uses regular expressions for text pattern matching

Sends email, text, and push notifications

Controls keyboard and mouse with custom macros

Includes text-to-speech and speech recognition

Works with CSV, JSON, and XML data formats

Pros & Cons

Pros

Free to read online with no cost
No prior programming experience required
Practical, project-based learning approach
Coverage of many real-world automation tasks
Clear explanations and engaging examples
Over 500,000 copies sold, widely recommended

Cons

Primarily a book, not an interactive or runnable tool
Focuses on automation topics; may not cover advanced Python concepts
Some chapters assume specific software (e.g., Excel, Chrome) for demos

Best For

Automating repetitive file and folder organizationExtracting and processing data from spreadsheets and documentsWeb scraping for price monitoring or content aggregationAutomating email inbox management and form fillingCreating GUI automation scripts for tedious desktop tasksLearning Python programming through practical projects

FAQ

Is this book free?

Yes, the full text of Automate the Boring Stuff with Python is available to read for free under a Creative Commons license on the official website.

Do I need programming experience?

No, the book is designed for complete beginners. It starts with Python fundamentals and builds up to automation projects.

What can I automate with this book?

You can automate tasks like web scraping, file organization, spreadsheet manipulation, PDF/Word document processing, email sending, and keyboard/mouse macros.