From d45e0bd55428bb3c0cdb90e5842dfe308abcbedb Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Nathan Goldbaum Date: Mon, 4 Nov 2024 14:32:23 -0700 Subject: [PATCH] docs: Add and fix links in free-threading guide. (#4673) * Add and fix links in free-threading guide. * use PYO3_DOCS_URL instead of latest * add more links and use link anchors * revert change to pyclass-parameters.md --- guide/src/free-threading.md | 103 ++++++++++++++++++++++-------------- guide/src/migration.md | 2 +- 2 files changed, 65 insertions(+), 40 deletions(-) diff --git a/guide/src/free-threading.md b/guide/src/free-threading.md index 8100a3d45ef..6d3493d2db6 100644 --- a/guide/src/free-threading.md +++ b/guide/src/free-threading.md @@ -24,15 +24,18 @@ cannot be sped up using parallelism. The free-threaded build removes this limit on multithreaded Python scaling. This means it's much more straightforward to achieve parallelism using the Python -`threading` module. If you have ever needed to use `multiprocessing` to achieve -a parallel speedup for some Python code, free-threading will likely allow the -use of Python threads instead for the same workflow. +[`threading`] module. If you +have ever needed to use +[`multiprocessing`](https://docs.python.org/3/library/multiprocessing.html) to +achieve a parallel speedup for some Python code, free-threading will likely +allow the use of Python threads instead for the same workflow. PyO3's support for free-threaded Python will enable authoring native Python extensions that are thread-safe by construction, with much stronger safety guarantees than C extensions. Our goal is to enable ["fearless concurrency"](https://doc.rust-lang.org/book/ch16-00-concurrency.html) in the -native Python runtime by building on the Rust `Send` and `Sync` traits. +native Python runtime by building on the Rust [`Send` and +`Sync`](https://doc.rust-lang.org/nomicon/send-and-sync.html) traits. This document provides advice for porting Rust code using PyO3 to run under free-threaded Python. While many simple PyO3 uses, like defining an immutable @@ -45,7 +48,8 @@ We are aware that there are some naming issues in the PyO3 API that make it awkward to think about a runtime environment where there is no GIL. We plan to change the names of these types to de-emphasize the role of the GIL in future versions of PyO3, but for now you should remember that the use of the term `GIL` -in functions and types like `with_gil` and `GILOnceCell` is historical. +in functions and types like [`Python::with_gil`] and [`GILOnceCell`] is +historical. Instead, you can think about whether or not a Rust thread is attached to a Python interpreter runtime. See [PEP @@ -64,16 +68,16 @@ The main reason for attaching to the Python runtime is to interact with Python objects or call into the CPython C API. To interact with the Python runtime, the thread must register itself by attaching to the interpreter runtime. If you are not yet attached to the Python runtime, you can register the thread using the -[`Python::with_gil`] function. Threads created via the Python `threading` module -do not not need to do this, but all other OS threads that interact with the -Python runtime must explicitly attach using `with_gil` and obtain a `'py` +[`Python::with_gil`] function. Threads created via the Python [`threading`] +module do not not need to do this, but all other OS threads that interact with +the Python runtime must explicitly attach using `with_gil` and obtain a `'py` liftime. -In the GIL-enabled build, PyO3 uses the `Python<'py>` type and the `'py` lifetime -to signify that the global interpreter lock is held. In the freethreaded build, -holding a `'py` lifetime means the thread is currently attached to the Python -interpreter but other threads might be simultaneously interacting with the -Python runtime. +In the GIL-enabled build, PyO3 uses the [`Python<'py>`] type and the `'py` +lifetime to signify that the global interpreter lock is held. In the +freethreaded build, holding a `'py` lifetime means only that the thread is +currently attached to the Python interpreter -- other threads can be +simultaneously interacting with the interpreter. Since there is no GIL in the free-threaded build, releasing the GIL for long-running tasks is no longer necessary to ensure other threads run, but you @@ -89,15 +93,16 @@ Data attached to `pyclass` instances is protected from concurrent access by a `RefCell`-like pattern of runtime borrow checking. Like a `RefCell`, PyO3 will raise exceptions (or in some cases panic) to enforce exclusive access for mutable borrows. It was always possible to generate panics like this in PyO3 in -code that releases the GIL with `allow_threads` or caling a `pymethod` accepting -`&self` from a `&mut self` (see [the docs on interior +code that releases the GIL with [`Python::allow_threads`] or calling a python +method accepting `&self` from a `&mut self` (see [the docs on interior mutability](./class.md#bound-and-interior-mutability),) but now in free-threaded Python there are more opportunities to trigger these panics from Python because there is no GIL to lock concurrent access to mutably borrowed data from Python. The most straightforward way to trigger this problem to use the Python -`threading` module to simultaneously call a rust function that mutably borrows a -`pyclass`. For example, consider the following `PyClass` implementation: +[`threading`] module to simultaneously call a rust function that mutably borrows a +[`pyclass`]({{#PYO3_DOCS_URL}}/pyo3/attr.pyclass.html). For example, +consider the following implementation: ``` # use pyo3::prelude::*; @@ -154,30 +159,30 @@ needed. ## Thread-safe single initialization -Until version 0.23, PyO3 provided only `GILOnceCell` to enable deadlock-free +Until version 0.23, PyO3 provided only [`GILOnceCell`] to enable deadlock-free single initialization of data in contexts that might execute arbitrary Python -code. While we have updated `GILOnceCell` to avoid thread safety issues -triggered only under the free-threaded build, the design of `GILOnceCell` is +code. While we have updated [`GILOnceCell`] to avoid thread safety issues +triggered only under the free-threaded build, the design of [`GILOnceCell`] is inherently thread-unsafe, in a manner that can be problematic even in the GIL-enabled build. -If, for example, the function executed by `GILOnceCell` releases the GIL or +If, for example, the function executed by [`GILOnceCell`] releases the GIL or calls code that releases the GIL, then it is possible for multiple threads to try to race to initialize the cell. While the cell will only ever be intialized -once, it can be problematic in some contexts that `GILOnceCell` does not block -like the standard library `OnceLock`. +once, it can be problematic in some contexts that [`GILOnceCell`] does not block +like the standard library [`OnceLock`]. In cases where the initialization function must run exactly once, you can bring -the `OnceExt` or `OnceLockExt` traits into scope. The `OnceExt` trait adds -`OnceExt::call_once_py_attached` and `OnceExt::call_once_force_py_attached` -functions to the api of `std::sync::Once`, enabling use of `Once` in contexts -where the GIL is held. Similarly, `OnceLockExt` adds -`OnceLockExt::get_or_init_py_attached`. These functions are analogous to -`Once::call_once`, `Once::call_once_force`, and `OnceLock::get_or_init` except -they accept a `Python<'py>` token in addition to an `FnOnce`. All of these +the [`OnceExt`] or [`OnceLockExt`] traits into scope. The [`OnceExt`] trait adds +[`OnceExt::call_once_py_attached`] and [`OnceExt::call_once_force_py_attached`] +functions to the api of `std::sync::Once`, enabling use of [`Once`] in contexts +where the GIL is held. Similarly, [`OnceLockExt`] adds +[`OnceLockExt::get_or_init_py_attached`]. These functions are analogous to +[`Once::call_once`], [`Once::call_once_force`], and [`OnceLock::get_or_init`] except +they accept a [`Python<'py>`] token in addition to an `FnOnce`. All of these functions release the GIL and re-acquire it before executing the function, avoiding deadlocks with the GIL that are possible without using the PyO3 -extension traits. Here is an example of how to use `OnceExt` to +extension traits. Here is an example of how to use [`OnceExt`] to enable single-initialization of a runtime cache holding a `Py`. ```rust @@ -208,11 +213,13 @@ Python::with_gil(|py| { ## `GILProtected` is not exposed -`GILProtected` is a PyO3 type that allows mutable access to static data by +[`GILProtected`] is a PyO3 type that allows mutable access to static data by leveraging the GIL to lock concurrent access from other threads. In free-threaded Python there is no GIL, so you will need to replace this type with -some other form of locking. In many cases, a type from `std::sync::atomic` or -a `std::sync::Mutex` will be sufficient. +some other form of locking. In many cases, a type from +[`std::sync::atomic`](https://doc.rust-lang.org/std/sync/atomic/) or a +[`std::sync::Mutex`](https://doc.rust-lang.org/std/sync/struct.Mutex.html) will +be sufficient. Before: @@ -258,10 +265,28 @@ Python::with_gil(|py| { ``` If you are executing arbitrary Python code while holding the lock, then you will -need to use conditional compilation to use `GILProtected` on GIL-enabled Python -builds and mutexes otherwise. If your use of `GILProtected` does not guard the +need to use conditional compilation to use [`GILProtected`] on GIL-enabled Python +builds and mutexes otherwise. If your use of [`GILProtected`] does not guard the execution of arbitrary Python code or use of the CPython C API, then conditional -compilation is likely unnecessary since `GILProtected` was not needed in the +compilation is likely unnecessary since [`GILProtected`] was not needed in the first place and instead Rust mutexes or atomics should be preferred. Python 3.13 -introduces `PyMutex`, which releases the GIL while the waiting for the lock, so -that is another option if you only need to support newer Python versions. +introduces [`PyMutex`](https://docs.python.org/3/c-api/init.html#c.PyMutex), +which releases the GIL while the waiting for the lock, so that is another option +if you only need to support newer Python versions. + +[`GILOnceCell`]: {{#PYO3_DOCS_URL}}/pyo3/sync/struct.GILOnceCell.html +[`GILProtected]: {{#PYO3_DOCS_URL}}/pyo3/sync/struct.GILProtected.html +[`Once`]: https://doc.rust-lang.org/stable/std/sync/struct.Once.html +[`Once::call_once`]: https://doc.rust-lang.org/stable/std/sync/struct.Once.html#tymethod.call_once +[`Once::call_once_force`]: https://doc.rust-lang.org/stable/std/sync/struct.Once.html#tymethod.call_once_force +[`OnceExt]: {{#PYO3_DOCS_URL}}/pyo3/sync/trait.OnceExt.html +[`OnceExt::call_once_py_attached`]: {{#PYO3_DOCS_URL}}/pyo3/sync/trait.OnceExt.html#tymethod.call_once_py_attached +[`OnceExt::call_once_force_py_attached`]: {{#PYO3_DOCS_URL}}/pyo3/sync/trait.OnceExt.html#tymethod.call_once_force_py_attached +[`OnceLockExt]: {{#PYO3_DOCS_URL}}/pyo3/sync/trait.OnceLockExt.html +[`OnceLockExt::get_or_init_py_attached]: {{#PYO3_DOCS_URL}}/pyo3/sync/trait.OnceLockExt.html#tymethod.get_or_init_py_attached +[`OnceLock`]: https://doc.rust-lang.org/stable/std/sync/struct.OnceLock.html +[`OnceLock::get_or_init`]: https://doc.rust-lang.org/stable/std/sync/struct.OnceLock.html#tymethod.get_or_init +[`Python::allow_threads`]: {{#PYO3_DOCS_URL}}/pyo3/marker/struct.Python.html#method.allow_threads +[`Python::with_gil`]: {{#PYO3_DOCS_URL}}/pyo3/marker/struct.Python.html#method.with_gil +[`Python<'py>`]: {{#PYO3_DOCS_URL}}/pyo3/marker/struct.Python.html +[`threading`]: https://docs.python.org/3/library/threading.html diff --git a/guide/src/migration.md b/guide/src/migration.md index 0f56498043b..2cecc73d278 100644 --- a/guide/src/migration.md +++ b/guide/src/migration.md @@ -1064,7 +1064,7 @@ Python::with_gil(|py| { }); ``` -Furthermore, `Python::acquire_gil` provides ownership of a `GILGuard` which can be freely stored and passed around. This is usually not helpful as it may keep the lock held for a long time thereby blocking progress in other parts of the program. Due to the generative lifetime attached to the GIL token supplied by `Python::with_gil`, the problem is avoided as the GIL token can only be passed down the call chain. Often, this issue can also be avoided entirely as any GIL-bound reference `&'py PyAny` implies access to a GIL token `Python<'py>` via the [`PyAny::py`](https://docs.rs/pyo3/latest/pyo3/types/struct.PyAny.html#method.py) method. +Furthermore, `Python::acquire_gil` provides ownership of a `GILGuard` which can be freely stored and passed around. This is usually not helpful as it may keep the lock held for a long time thereby blocking progress in other parts of the program. Due to the generative lifetime attached to the GIL token supplied by `Python::with_gil`, the problem is avoided as the GIL token can only be passed down the call chain. Often, this issue can also be avoided entirely as any GIL-bound reference `&'py PyAny` implies access to a GIL token `Python<'py>` via the [`PyAny::py`](https://docs.rs/pyo3/0.22.5/pyo3/types/struct.PyAny.html#method.py) method. ## from 0.17.* to 0.18