Python: How to handle circular imports and organize module structure?

Answered
Aug 30, 2025 483 views 2 answers
54

I'm working on a Python application and running into an issue with Python debugging. Here's the problematic code:


# Current implementation
import threading
import time

def worker():
    global counter
    for _ in range(100000):
        counter += 1  # Race condition here

counter = 0
threads = [threading.Thread(target=worker) for _ in range(4)]
for t in threads:
    t.start()

The error message I'm getting is: "RecursionError: maximum recursion depth exceeded in comparison"

What I've tried so far:

  • Used pdb debugger to step through the code
  • Added logging statements to trace execution
  • Checked Python documentation and PEPs
  • Tested with different Python versions
  • Reviewed similar issues on GitHub and Stack Overflow

Environment information:

  • Python version: 3.11.0
  • Operating system: macOS Ventura
  • Virtual environment: venv (activated)
  • Relevant packages: django, djangorestframework, celery, redis

Any insights or alternative approaches would be very helpful. Thanks!

L
Asked by lisa_data
Bronze 50 rep

Comments

emma_programmer: Could you elaborate on the select_related vs prefetch_related usage? When should I use each? 1 week, 4 days ago

2 Answers

20

The difference between threading and multiprocessing in Python is crucial for performance:

Threading (shared memory, GIL limitation):

import threading
import time

def io_bound_task(name):
    print(f'Starting {name}')
    time.sleep(2)  # Simulates I/O operation
    print(f'Finished {name}')

# Good for I/O-bound tasks
threads = []
for i in range(3):
    t = threading.Thread(target=io_bound_task, args=(f'Task-{i}',))
    threads.append(t)
    t.start()

for t in threads:
    t.join()

Multiprocessing (separate memory, no GIL):

import multiprocessing
import time

def cpu_bound_task(name):
    # CPU-intensive calculation
    result = sum(i * i for i in range(1000000))
    return f'{name}: {result}'

# Good for CPU-bound tasks
if __name__ == '__main__':
    with multiprocessing.Pool(processes=4) as pool:
        tasks = [f'Process-{i}' for i in range(4)]
        results = pool.map(cpu_bound_task, tasks)
        print(results)

Concurrent.futures (unified interface):

from concurrent.futures import ThreadPoolExecutor, ProcessPoolExecutor

# For I/O-bound tasks
with ThreadPoolExecutor(max_workers=4) as executor:
    futures = [executor.submit(io_bound_task, f'Task-{i}') for i in range(4)]
    results = [future.result() for future in futures]

# For CPU-bound tasks
with ProcessPoolExecutor(max_workers=4) as executor:
    futures = [executor.submit(cpu_bound_task, f'Process-{i}') for i in range(4)]
    results = [future.result() for future in futures]
A
Answered by abdullah3 1 week, 4 days ago
Bronze 90 rep

Comments

alex_dev: Great Python profiling example! The cProfile output helped me identify the bottleneck in my data processing pipeline. 1 week, 4 days ago

20

The difference between threading and multiprocessing in Python is crucial for performance:

Threading (shared memory, GIL limitation):

import threading
import time

def io_bound_task(name):
    print(f'Starting {name}')
    time.sleep(2)  # Simulates I/O operation
    print(f'Finished {name}')

# Good for I/O-bound tasks
threads = []
for i in range(3):
    t = threading.Thread(target=io_bound_task, args=(f'Task-{i}',))
    threads.append(t)
    t.start()

for t in threads:
    t.join()

Multiprocessing (separate memory, no GIL):

import multiprocessing
import time

def cpu_bound_task(name):
    # CPU-intensive calculation
    result = sum(i * i for i in range(1000000))
    return f'{name}: {result}'

# Good for CPU-bound tasks
if __name__ == '__main__':
    with multiprocessing.Pool(processes=4) as pool:
        tasks = [f'Process-{i}' for i in range(4)]
        results = pool.map(cpu_bound_task, tasks)
        print(results)

Concurrent.futures (unified interface):

from concurrent.futures import ThreadPoolExecutor, ProcessPoolExecutor

# For I/O-bound tasks
with ThreadPoolExecutor(max_workers=4) as executor:
    futures = [executor.submit(io_bound_task, f'Task-{i}') for i in range(4)]
    results = [future.result() for future in futures]

# For CPU-bound tasks
with ProcessPoolExecutor(max_workers=4) as executor:
    futures = [executor.submit(cpu_bound_task, f'Process-{i}') for i in range(4)]
    results = [future.result() for future in futures]
W
Answered by william 1 week, 4 days ago
Newbie 40 rep

Comments

emma_programmer: This Django transaction approach worked perfectly for my payment processing system. Thanks! 1 week, 4 days ago

abadi: Could you elaborate on the select_related vs prefetch_related usage? When should I use each? 1 week, 4 days ago

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