13.14. AsyncIO Queue

  • asyncio queues are designed to be similar to classes of the queue module.

  • Although asyncio queues are not thread-safe, they are designed to be used specifically in async/await code.

  • Note that methods of asyncio queues don't have a timeout parameter; use`` asyncio.wait_for()`` function to do queue operations with a timeout.

In Python, asyncio is a module that provides tools for writing asynchronous code using coroutines. The asyncio.Queue() class is a utility class that is used to implement a queue for asynchronous programming.

The asyncio.Queue() class is similar to the queue.Queue() class in Python's standard library, but it is designed for use with asynchronous code. It allows coroutines to put items into the queue and get items from the queue without blocking the event loop.

Here is an example of how to use asyncio.Queue():

>>> import asyncio
>>>
>>> async def producer(queue):
...     for i in range(5):
...         await asyncio.sleep(0.5)
...         item = f'item {i}'
...         await queue.put(item)
...         print(f'Produced {item}')
>>>
>>> async def consumer(queue):
...     while True:
...         item = await queue.get()
...         print(f'Consumed {item}')
...         queue.task_done()
>>>
>>> async def main():
...     queue = asyncio.Queue()
...     producer_task = asyncio.create_task(producer(queue))
...     consumer_task = asyncio.create_task(consumer(queue))
...     await asyncio.gather(producer_task, consumer_task)
...     await queue.join()
>>>
>>> asyncio.run(main())  

In this example, the producer coroutine puts items into the queue using the put method of the asyncio.Queue() class. The consumer coroutine gets items from the queue using the get method of the asyncio.Queue() class. The main coroutine creates a queue, creates tasks for the producer and consumer coroutines using asyncio.create_task(), and then waits for them to complete using asyncio.gather(). Finally, it waits for the queue to be empty using the join method of the asyncio.Queue() class.

When the program is run, the producer coroutine puts 5 items into the queue, and the consumer coroutine gets each item from the queue and prints it. The program will run until all items have been consumed from the queue.

The asyncio.Queue() class is a useful tool for implementing asynchronous communication between coroutines in Python.

13.14.1. FIFO Queue

  • FIFO Queue - First In, First Out

  • class asyncio.Queue(maxsize=0)

  • If maxsize is less than or equal to zero, the queue size is infinite.

  • Unlike the standard library threading queue, the size of the queue is always known and can be returned by calling the qsize() method.

  • maxsize - Number of items allowed in the queue.

  • empty() - Return True if the queue is empty, False otherwise.

  • full() - Return True if there are maxsize items in the queue.

  • coroutine get() - Remove and return an item from the queue. If queue is empty, wait until an item is available.

  • get_nowait() - Return an item if one is immediately available, else raise QueueEmpty.

  • coroutine join() - Block until all items in the queue have been received and processed.

  • coroutine put(item) - Put an item into the queue. If the queue is full, wait until a free slot is available before adding the item.

  • put_nowait(item) - Put an item into the queue without blocking. If no free slot is immediately available, raise QueueFull.

  • qsize() - Return the number of items in the queue.

  • task_done() - Indicate that a formerly enqueued task is complete.

13.14.2. Priority Queue

  • class asyncio.PriorityQueue

  • Retrieves entries in priority order (lowest first).

  • Entries are typically tuples of the form (priority_number, data).

13.14.3. LIFO Queue

  • LIFO Queue - Last In, First Out

  • class asyncio.LifoQueue

  • Retrieves most recently added entries first.

13.14.4. Exceptions

  • exception asyncio.QueueEmpty - Raised when get_nowait() method is called on an empty queue.

  • exception asyncio.QueueFull - Raised when put_nowait() method is called on a queue that has reached its maxsize.

13.14.5. Example

import asyncio
import random
import time


async def worker(name, queue):
    while True:
        # Get a "work item" out of the queue.
        sleep_for = await queue.get()

        # Sleep for the "sleep_for" seconds.
        await asyncio.sleep(sleep_for)

        # Notify the queue that the "work item" has been processed.
        queue.task_done()

        print(f'{name} has slept for {sleep_for:.2f} seconds')


async def main():
    # Create a queue that we will use to store our "workload".
    queue = asyncio.Queue()

    # Generate random timings and put them into the queue.
    total_sleep_time = 0
    for _ in range(20):
        sleep_for = random.uniform(0.05, 1.0)
        total_sleep_time += sleep_for
        queue.put_nowait(sleep_for)

    # Create three worker tasks to process the queue concurrently.
    tasks = []
    for i in range(3):
        task = asyncio.create_task(worker(f'worker-{i}', queue))
        tasks.append(task)

    # Wait until the queue is fully processed.
    started_at = time.monotonic()
    await queue.join()
    total_slept_for = time.monotonic() - started_at

    # Cancel our worker tasks.
    for task in tasks:
        task.cancel()
    # Wait until all worker tasks are cancelled.
    await asyncio.gather(*tasks, return_exceptions=True)

    print('====')
    print(f'3 workers slept in parallel for {total_slept_for:.2f} seconds')
    print(f'total expected sleep time: {total_sleep_time:.2f} seconds')


asyncio.run(main())
# worker-0 has slept for 0.26 seconds
# worker-0 has slept for 0.41 seconds
# worker-1 has slept for 0.89 seconds
# worker-2 has slept for 0.98 seconds
# worker-0 has slept for 0.59 seconds
# worker-0 has slept for 0.09 seconds
# worker-0 has slept for 0.11 seconds
# worker-2 has slept for 0.53 seconds
# worker-1 has slept for 0.91 seconds
# worker-1 has slept for 0.21 seconds
# worker-0 has slept for 0.87 seconds
# worker-2 has slept for 0.86 seconds
# worker-2 has slept for 0.11 seconds
# worker-2 has slept for 0.23 seconds
# worker-0 has slept for 0.53 seconds
# worker-1 has slept for 0.89 seconds
# worker-0 has slept for 0.53 seconds
# worker-0 has slept for 0.10 seconds
# worker-2 has slept for 0.86 seconds
# worker-1 has slept for 0.82 seconds
# ====
# 3 workers slept in parallel for 3.74 seconds
# total expected sleep time: 10.79 seconds