Concurrency & performance
asyncio, threading, multiprocessing, and profiling-friendly performance patterns.
Build a Python Performance Profiler That Generates Readable Reports
Use cProfile and pstats to profile Python functions and print a sorted performance report showing the top time-consuming calls.
import cProfile
import pstats
import io
from pathlib import Path
def slow_function():
total = 0
for i in range(500_000):
total += i ** 2
return total
def fast_function():
total = sum(i * i for i in range(500_000))
return total
def profile_functions():
profiler = cProfile.Profile()
…
How to Implement a Batch Requests Flush Interval in Python
A simple async batcher that accumulates items and flushes them either when a max batch size is reached or after a time-based flush interval.
import asyncio
from collections import deque
class Batcher:
def __init__(self, flush_interval=0.5, max_batch=5):
self.flush_interval = flush_interval
self.max_batch = max_batch
self.queue = deque()
self.lock = asyncio.Lock()
async def add(self, item):
async with self.l…
How to Profile CPU Hot Path in Python with cProfile and sort_stats cumtime
Profile a Python function's CPU usage by running cProfile, sorting stats by cumulative time, and printing a readable report to stdout.
import cProfile
import pstats
import io
def slow_function():
total = 0
for i in range(100_000):
total += i * i
return total
def fast_function():
return sum(i for i in range(100))
def main():
slow_function()
fast_function()
if __name__ == "__main__":
profiler = cProfile.Profi…
How to Run an Async Main with asyncio.run in Python
Show the canonical entry point for an asyncio program: define an async main, then launch it with asyncio.run.
import asyncio
async def main():
print("Hello from async main")
await asyncio.sleep(0.1)
print("Done")
if __name__ == "__main__":
asyncio.run(main())
How to Send and Receive Messages Between Processes with multiprocessing.Pipe in Python
Use multiprocessing.Pipe to create a two-way connection between two processes, send a message from parent to child, and receive a reply back.
import multiprocessing
def child_process(conn):
"""Receive from parent and send back a response."""
message = conn.recv()
print(f"Child received: {message}")
conn.send("Hello from child!")
if __name__ == "__main__":
parent_conn, child_conn = multiprocessing.Pipe()
process = multiprocessing…
How to Share a Queue Between Processes in Python
Use multiprocessing.Queue to pass work from a producer process to multiple consumer processes, coordinating with a sentinel stop message.
import multiprocessing
import time
def producer(queue, items):
for item in items:
queue.put(item)
time.sleep(0.1)
queue.put("STOP")
def consumer(queue, name):
while True:
item = queue.get()
if item == "STOP":
break
print(f"{name} processed: {item}")
…
How to Use Array Typecodes for Compact Numeric Storage in Python
This code demonstrates how to use the `array` module with typecodes to store integers, floats, and bytes in a memory-efficient way compared to standard Python lists.
from array import array
def demonstrate_array_types():
# Compact integer arrays
small_ints = array('i', [1, 2, 3, 4, 5])
unsigned_ints = array('I', [10, 20, 30])
# Floating point arrays
floats = array('f', [1.5, 2.5, 3.5])
doubles = array('d', [1.123456789, 2.987654321])
# Charac…
How to Use ThreadPoolExecutor and ProcessPoolExecutor in Python
Compares ThreadPoolExecutor and ProcessPoolExecutor by running CPU-bound and I/O-tolerant tasks over a large list, printing elapsed times and first results.
import time
from concurrent.futures import ThreadPoolExecutor, ProcessPoolExecutor
import math
numbers = list(range(1, 1000001))
def compute_square(n):
return n * n
def compute_sqrt(n):
return math.sqrt(n)
def run_executor(executor, func, data):
start = time.perf_counter()
results = list(executo…
How to Use bisect.insort in Python to Maintain a Sorted List
Insert items into an already sorted list using Python's bisect.insort to keep it sorted efficiently in O(n) time.
import bisect
def maintain_sorted_list():
data = [3, 1, 4, 1, 5, 9, 2, 6]
sorted_list = []
for num in data:
bisect.insort(sorted_list, num)
print("Original data:", data)
print("Sorted list maintained with insort:", sorted_list)
# Insert new values to maintain sorted orde…
How to Use pool.map for CPU-Bound Tasks in Python
Distribute CPU-intensive functions across processes with multiprocessing.Pool.map and measure the performance gain.
from multiprocessing import Pool
import time
def cpu_bound_task(n):
"""Mock CPU-bound work: compute sum of squares."""
total = 0
for i in range(n):
total += i * i
return total
if __name__ == "__main__":
numbers = [10_000_000, 12_000_000, 8_000_000, 15_000_000]
start = time.perf_count…
How to spawn multiple worker processes in Python with multiprocessing.Process
Spawns three separate worker processes using multiprocessing.Process, runs them concurrently, and waits for all to finish before printing a completion message.
import multiprocessing
import time
def worker(name):
print(f"Worker {name} started")
time.sleep(1)
print(f"Worker {name} finished")
return name
if __name__ == "__main__":
processes = []
for i in range(3):
p = multiprocessing.Process(target=worker, args=(i,))
processes.append(p…
Merge K Sorted Lists in Python with heapq
Merge k sorted lists into one sorted list in O(N log k) time using a min-heap of current elements.
import heapq
def merge_k_sorted_lists(lists):
heap = []
for i, lst in enumerate(lists):
if lst: # only push non-empty lists
heapq.heappush(heap, (lst[0], i, 0))
result = []
while heap:
val, list_idx, elem_idx = heapq.heappop(heap)
result.append(val)
if elem…
Profile Memory Usage with tracemalloc Snapshot Diff in Python
Use tracemalloc to take two memory snapshots, compute a diff, and print the top changes (size and count) by line number.
import tracemalloc
def profile_memory():
tracemalloc.start()
# Allocate some objects to track
data = [i * 2 for i in range(10000)]
text = "x" * 5000
nested = {"key": [1, 2, 3], "value": (4, 5)}
# Take first snapshot
snapshot1 = tracemalloc.take_snapshot()
# Free some mem…
asyncio sleep cooperative scheduling demo in Python
This demo shows how asyncio.sleep yields control between concurrent tasks, letting multiple workers interleave their ticks.
import asyncio
async def worker(name, delay):
for i in range(3):
print(f"{name}: tick {i}")
await asyncio.sleep(delay)
return f"{name} done"
async def main():
tasks = [
asyncio.create_task(worker("A", 0.1)),
asyncio.create_task(worker("B", 0.2)),
asyncio.create_tas…
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Concurrency & performance — Python code examples
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