https://github.com/harlowja/fasteners
A python package that provides useful locks.
https://github.com/harlowja/fasteners
Last synced: 29 days ago
JSON representation
A python package that provides useful locks.
- Host: GitHub
- URL: https://github.com/harlowja/fasteners
- Owner: harlowja
- License: apache-2.0
- Created: 2015-03-10T17:14:45.000Z (over 10 years ago)
- Default Branch: main
- Last Pushed: 2025-03-11T06:19:54.000Z (8 months ago)
- Last Synced: 2025-05-04T18:50:05.211Z (7 months ago)
- Language: Python
- Homepage:
- Size: 1.63 MB
- Stars: 255
- Watchers: 6
- Forks: 45
- Open Issues: 23
-
Metadata Files:
- Readme: README.md
- Changelog: CHANGELOG.md
- License: LICENSE
Awesome Lists containing this project
- awesome-python-decorator - fasteners
README
Fasteners
=========
[](https://readthedocs.org/projects/fasteners/?badge=latest)
[](https://pypi.python.org/pypi/fasteners/)
Cross-platform locks for threads and processes.
🔩 Install
----------
```
pip install fasteners
```
🔩 Usage
--------
Lock for processes has the same API as the
[threading.Lock](https://docs.python.org/3/library/threading.html#threading.Lock)
for threads:
```python
import fasteners
import threading
lock = threading.Lock() # for threads
lock = fasteners.InterProcessLock('path/to/lock.file') # for processes
with lock:
... # exclusive access
# or alternatively
lock.acquire()
... # exclusive access
lock.release()
```
Reader Writer lock has a similar API, which is the same for threads or processes:
```python
import fasteners
rw_lock = fasteners.ReaderWriterLock() # for threads
rw_lock = fasteners.InterProcessReaderWriterLock('path/to/lock.file') # for processes
with rw_lock.write_lock():
... # write access
with rw_lock.read_lock():
... # read access
# or alternatively
rw_lock.acquire_read_lock()
... # read access
rw_lock.release_read_lock()
rw_lock.acquire_write_lock()
... # write access
rw_lock.release_write_lock()
```
🔩 Overview
-----------
Python standard library provides a lock for threads (both a reentrant one, and a
non-reentrant one, see below). Fasteners extends this, and provides a lock for
processes, as well as Reader Writer locks for both threads and processes.
Definitions of terms used in this overview can be found in the
[glossary](https://fasteners.readthedocs.io/en/latest/guide/glossary/).
The specifics of the locks are as follows:
### Process locks
The `fasteners.InterProcessLock` uses [fcntl](https://man7.org/linux/man-pages/man2/fcntl.2.html) on Unix-like systems and
msvc [_locking](https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/cpp/c-runtime-library/reference/locking?view=msvc-160) on Windows.
As a result, if used cross-platform it guarantees an intersection of their features:
| lock | reentrant | mandatory |
|------|-----------|-----------|
| fcntl | ✘ | ✘ |
| _locking | ✔ | ✔ |
| fasteners.InterProcessLock | ✘ | ✘ |
The `fasteners.InterProcessReaderWriterLock` also uses fcntl on Unix-like systems and
[LockFileEx](https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/win32/api/fileapi/nf-fileapi-lockfileex) on Windows. Their
features are as follows:
| lock | reentrant | mandatory | upgradable | preference |
|------|-----------|-----------|------------|------------|
| fcntl | ✘ | ✘ | ✔ | reader |
| LockFileEx | ✔ | ✔ | ✘ | reader |
| fasteners.InterProcessReaderWriterLock | ✘ | ✘ | ✘ | reader |
### Thread locks
Fasteners does not provide a simple thread lock, but for the sake of comparison note that the `threading` module
provides both a reentrant and non-reentrant locks:
| lock | reentrant | mandatory |
|------|-----------|-----------|
| threading.Lock | ✘ | ✘ |
| threading.RLock | ✔ | ✘ |
The `fasteners.ReaderWriterLock` at the moment is as follows:
| lock | reentrant | mandatory | upgradable | preference |
|------|-----------|-----------|-------------|------------|
| fasteners.ReaderWriterLock | ✔ | ✘ | ✘ | writer |
If your threads are created by some other means than the standard library `threading`
module (for example `eventlet`), you may need to provide the corresponding thread
identification and synchronisation functions to the `ReaderWriterLock`.