Stack switching for fun and profit
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This document summarizes micro-threading libraries like greenlet, Stackless Python, fibers, and continulets. It explains that greenlet allows lightweight context switching between micro-threads called greenlets. Stackless Python extends CPython with tasklets and channels. PyPy implements greenlets and Stackless using continulets, which are one-shot continuations. Continulets and stacklets provide low-level context switching between continuations. The fibers library provides a higher-level API inspired by greenlets but built on top of stacklets.
![Greenlet API
greenlet(func, parent=None): creates a greenlet to
run ‘func’
greenlet.switch(*args, **kw): switches execution to
the target greenlet, the first time
func(*args, **kw) will be executed
greenlet.throw([typ, [val, [tb]]]): switches execution
to the target greenlet and raises the specified
exception (GreenletExit by default)](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/fibers-140203143746-phpapp02/85/Stack-switching-for-fun-and-profit-6-320.jpg)
![fibers API
Fiber(target=None, args=(), kwargs={},
parent=None): creates a new fiber which will run
“target(*args, **kwargs)”
Fiber.switch(value=None): switch execution to the
target fiber, value can only be passed after the
fiber is running
Fiber.throw(typ, [value, [tb]]): switch execution to
the target fiber and raise the specified exception](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/fibers-140203143746-phpapp02/85/Stack-switching-for-fun-and-profit-23-320.jpg)
Stack switching for fun and profit
- 1. Stack switching for fun & profit Saúl Ibarra Corretgé - @saghul FOSDEM 2014
- 4. Some background Who knows what greenlet is? Who has used it (standalone)? Who understands how it works?
- 5. Greenlet Micro-threads with no implicit scheduling Lightweight Only one can run at a time Spin-off Stackless
- 6. Greenlet API greenlet(func, parent=None): creates a greenlet to run ‘func’ greenlet.switch(*args, **kw): switches execution to the target greenlet, the first time func(*args, **kw) will be executed greenlet.throw([typ, [val, [tb]]]): switches execution to the target greenlet and raises the specified exception (GreenletExit by default)
- 7. Example import greenlet main = greenlet.getcurrent() def foo(n): main.switch(n) def bar(n): foo(n) return 'hello' g1 = greenlet.greenlet(bar) print g1.switch(42) # 42 print g1.switch() # 'hello' print g1.dead # True
- 8. How does it work? ‘Stack switching’ Non portable asm code Copy stack slices on the heap State is saved and restored when switching CPU registers Current Python frame, recursion depth and exception state
- 12. How does it work? (II) Organized in a tree structure Each greenlet has a ‘parent’, except main Execution order isn’t always obvious
- 13. Example (II) import greenlet main = greenlet.getcurrent() def foo_async(cb): # Will call cb(result, error) eventually pass def foo_sync(): current = greenlet.getcurrent() def cb(result, error): if error is not None: current.throw(Exception(error)) else: current.switch(result) foo_async(cb) main.switch()
- 14. Stackless Python Fork of CPython, first release in 1999 Provides tasklets and channels Builtin scheduler Different approaches to switching
- 15. Stackless Python (II) Different ways of switching: soft and hard Soft switching “Move some pointers around” Hard switching Platform dependent assembly code When soft-switching is not possible
- 16. Enter PyPy New shiny and fast implementation of Python Vast amount of fairy-dust covered unicorns included Includes implementations of both greenlet and Stackless Implemented on top of “continulet” objects
- 17. import _continuation Continulets are one-shot continuations Switching code is a standalone C library: stacklet rpython/translator/c/src/stacklet/
- 18. Continulet API continulet(func, *args, **kw): create a continulet object which will call fun(cont, *args, **kw) continulet.switch(value=None, to=None): start the continulet or activate the previously suspended one. If to is specified a ‘double switch’ is performed continulet.throw(type, value=None, tb=None, to=None): similar to switch, but raise the given exception after the switch is done
- 19. Stacklet Tiny library implementing one-shot continuations for C Single C file (~400 lines) + per-platform asm Supports x86, x86_64 and ARM Nice and simple API
- 20. Stacklet API stacklet_newthread(): creates a new thread handle stacklet_new(thread_handle, run_func, run_arg): calls run(arg) in a new stacklet, starts immediately stacklet_switch(target): switches execution to target stacklet
- 21. #include <assert.h> #include "stacklet.h" Example static stacklet_thread_handle thrd; stacklet_handle empty_callback(stacklet_handle h, void *arg) { assert(arg == (void *)123); return h; } void test_new(void) { stacklet_handle h = stacklet_new(thrd, empty_callback, (void *)123); assert(h == EMPTY_STACKLET_HANDLE); } int main(int argc, char **argv) { thrd = stacklet_newthread(); test_new(); stacklet_deletethread(thrd); return 0; }
- 22. import fibers Micro-threadling library API inspired by Python threads and greenlet Uses stacklet underneath Works on CPython and PyPy On PyPy it uses continulets github.com/saghul/python-fibers Or pip install fibers
- 23. fibers API Fiber(target=None, args=(), kwargs={}, parent=None): creates a new fiber which will run “target(*args, **kwargs)” Fiber.switch(value=None): switch execution to the target fiber, value can only be passed after the fiber is running Fiber.throw(typ, [value, [tb]]): switch execution to the target fiber and raise the specified exception
- 24. Motivation Couldn’t build the API I wanted on top of greenlet Early binding More exceptions in expected places No magic exceptions (GreenletExit) No switching on GC
- 25. Example import fibers main = fibers.current() def foo(n): main.switch(n) def bar(n): foo(n) return 'hello' g1 = fibers.Fiber(target=bar, args=(42,)) print g1.switch() # 42 print g1.switch() # 'hello' print g1.is_alive() # False
- 26. Projects using fibers github.com/saghul/evergreen github.com/geertj/gruvi github.com/benoitc/offset Should I add yours here?
- 27. The Stacklet Sandwich (TM) greenlet / stackless / fibers continulet stacklet