asyncio vs libuv

[bontric]

In #8 we were talking about moving to libuv for asynchronous I/O instead of using threads and processes.

Looking into this I found the libuv implementation for python (pyuv). Sadly, the project is only maintained by one person and also adds an additional dependency to this project.

Checking for alternatives I found that python (> 3.3) has a built in library for Asynchronous I/O. Since I haven't really looked into the details of asynchronous I/O yet, I can't estimate how appropriate this is for our project. I also can't say how it differs from libuv..

@stze could you maybe take a quick look at asyncio and tell me if I should use this? Or do you think using pyuv is the better option?

[stze]

please stick to pyuv (i seems well maintained and is also widely used). it's the better option in my opinion because i don't know asyncio lib very well and i think pyuv is easier to use.

[mkind]

I don't know neither. The additional dependency for pyuv does not hurt, I think. However, if asyncio provides the desired platform portability, it might be ok to use that.

[stze]

i think its not important which library. neovim python client has support for both event loop types 1, so @bontric you can decide ;).

[bontric]

I've been looking more into this but couldn't find a proper comparison of pyuv and asyncio. The only thing I did find is a talk by the creator and maintainer of pyuv about asyncio.

The cool thing about asyncio, for me, is that it's built in and also provides built-in features at least for python version 3.5+ . Another bonus is guaranteed support in the future.

We don't provide support for python2 versions and I don't think we need to support python 3.x (x<5) versions either. (There is a backport for earlier versions though)

@bontric you can decide ;)

Since I haven't really looked into libuv yet, I'd go with asyncio fo the sake of compatibility. I think having as few dependencies as possible is a good thing. That is my personal opinion though..

I also do not have a good understanding of the core concepts of asynchronous I/O yet. Therefore I can't really make an informed decision on which of the two is better.. I'll try to get more into this and make an informed decision as soon as possible.

[stze]

The cool thing about asyncio, for me, is that it's built in and also provides built-in features at least for python version 3.5+ . Another bonus is guaranteed support in the future.

you are totally right. maybe it's good to stick with a built in library.

We don't provide support for python2 versions and I don't think we need to support python 3.x (x<5) versions either. (There is a backport for earlier versions though)

correct, python2 support isn't needed.

@bontric you can decide ;)

Since I haven't really looked into libuv yet, I'd go with asyncio fo the sake of compatibility. I think having as few dependencies as possible is a good thing. That is my personal opinion though..

yes, in my opinion it's also good to keep the external library footprint as small as possible, but if asyncio has disadvantages i would prefer pyuv

I also do not have a good understanding of the core concepts of asynchronous I/O yet. Therefore I can't really make an informed decision on which of the two is better.. I'll try to get more into this and make a more informed decision as soon as possible.

i think both libraries have the exact same purpose, that's why i posted the neovim link earlier, they use asyncio if pyuv is not available on the system, a sign that they do exactly the same. an evaluation about which library will perform better isn't an easy task, so i would say, just use your preferred one if you don't find arguments against one of both.