How to Generate a Random Number in Python

Python’s random module is the standard way to generate random numbers for games, simulations, and testing.

Random Float Between 0 and 1

The simplest approach gives you a float in the range [0.0, 1.0):

import random

number = random.random()
print(number)
# 0.8471536681046147

Random Integer in Range

Use randint(a, b) for inclusive bounds:

import random

# Dice roll (1-6)
die = random.randint(1, 6)
print(die)
# 4

# Random number between 1 and 100
num = random.randint(1, 100)
print(num)
# 73

Random Float in Range

Use uniform(a, b) for floats between two values:

import random

price = random.uniform(10.0, 50.0)
print(f"${price:.2f}")
# $23.41

Random Element from a List

Pick a random item:

import random

colors = ["red", "green", "blue"]
choice = random.choice(colors)
print(choice)
# green

Setting a Seed for Reproducibility

If you need the same sequence each run:

import random

random.seed(42)
print(random.randint(1, 100))
# 46

# Reset to get same result
random.seed(42)
print(random.randint(1, 100))
# 46

See Also

• random — Full reference for the random module
• uuid — Generate unique IDs