Asynchronous Programming in Python – Asyncio Basics

Ever wondered why your Python scripts freeze when waiting for an API response or a database query? 🤔

That’s where async programming comes in! Instead of waiting for one task to finish before starting another, you can run multiple tasks simultaneously—speeding up your code and improving performance.

But how does Python handle async operations? Enter asyncio – Python’s built-in async framework.

🧵 Synchronous vs Asynchronous Programming

Imagine you’re at a coffee shop :

Synchronous (Blocking): You order a coffee and stand in line, waiting until it’s ready before ordering food. Time wasted! ⏳

Asynchronous (Non-blocking): You place your order, grab a seat, scroll through LinkedIn, and the barista notifies you when your coffee is ready. Efficient!

Getting Started with asyncio in Python

With asyncio, you can run multiple tasks concurrently, making your Python applications faster and more responsive.

Defining an Async Function

<span>import</span> <span>asyncio</span>  
<span>async</span> <span>def</span> <span>say_hello</span><span>():</span>  
    <span>print</span><span>(</span><span>"</span><span>Hello!</span><span>"</span><span>)</span>  
    <span>await</span> <span>asyncio</span><span>.</span><span>sleep</span><span>(</span><span>2</span><span>)</span>  
    <span>print</span><span>(</span><span>"</span><span>World!</span><span>"</span><span>)</span>  
<span>asyncio</span><span>.</span><span>run</span><span>(</span><span>say_hello</span><span>())</span>  
<span>import</span> <span>asyncio</span>  

<span>async</span> <span>def</span> <span>say_hello</span><span>():</span>  
    <span>print</span><span>(</span><span>"</span><span>Hello!</span><span>"</span><span>)</span>  
    <span>await</span> <span>asyncio</span><span>.</span><span>sleep</span><span>(</span><span>2</span><span>)</span>  
    <span>print</span><span>(</span><span>"</span><span>World!</span><span>"</span><span>)</span>  

<span>asyncio</span><span>.</span><span>run</span><span>(</span><span>say_hello</span><span>())</span>  
import asyncio  

async def say_hello():  
    print("Hello!")  
    await asyncio.sleep(2)  
    print("World!")  

asyncio.run(say_hello())  

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Output:

Hello!
(wait for 2 seconds…)
World!
Hello!
(wait for 2 seconds…)
World!
Hello!
(wait for 2 seconds…)
World!

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Key Concepts:

️ async def → Defines an asynchronous function

️ await → Pauses execution until a task is done

️ asyncio.run() → Runs the event loop

When Should You Use Async in Python?

Handling multiple API calls

Web scraping without blocking requests

Database queries without locking execution ️

Real-time applications (chat apps, stock tracking)

Async vs Multi-threading – Which One?

Use asyncio if your program spends a lot of time waiting (I/O-bound tasks)

Use multi-threading for CPU-intensive tasks (e.g., image processing, machine learning)

Final Thoughts

Async programming isn’t just a fancy buzzword—it’s a game-changer for Python developers. Mastering asyncio can significantly improve your application’s performance!

Have you used asyncio before? What challenges did you face? Drop your thoughts below!

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原文链接：Asynchronous Programming in Python – Asyncio Basics