Last Updated on September 12, 2022
You can return a variable from a child process using a multiprocessing.Value or a multiprocessing.Queue.
In this tutorial you will discover how to return a value from a process in Python.
Let’s get started.
Need to Return Value From Process
A process is a running instance of a computer program.
Every Python program is executed in a Process, which is a new instance of the Python interpreter. This process has the name MainProcess and has one thread used to execute the program instructions called the MainThread. Both processes and threads are created and managed by the underlying operating system.
Sometimes we may need to create new child processes in our program in order to execute code concurrently.
Python provides the ability to create and manage new processes via the multiprocessing.Process class.
In multiprocessing programming we typically need to return a value from a process.
This is challenging as there are no direct methods for returning a value from a process to another calling process.
How can we return a value from a process?
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How to Return Value From a Process
There are no direct methods to return a value from a process.
Instead, it can be achieved using indirect methods.
There are a number of indirect methods to choose from. The three most convenient and widely used methods to return a value from a process are as follows:
- Use a multiprocessing.Value object.
- Use a multiprocessing.Pipe object.
- Use a multiprocessing.Queue object.
Other approaches might include:
- Use a multiprocessing.Manager, e.g. processes interact with the same object via proxies.
- Use multiprocessing.sharedctypes, e.g. same methods that underlie multiprocessing.Value.
- Use multiprocessing.shared_memory.
Do you know of any other methods?
Let me know in the comments below.
Next, let’s take a closer look at some of these methods.
Return Variable From Process with Value
We can return a variable from a process using a multiprocessing.Value object.
These classes explicitly define data attributes designed to be shared between processes in a process-safe manner.
A process-safe manner means that only one process can read or access the variable at a time. Shared variables mean that changes made in one process are always propagated and made available to other processes.
An instance of the multiprocessing.Value can be defined in the constructor of a custom class as a shared instance variable.
The constructor of the multiprocessing.Value class requires that we specify the data type and an initial value.
The data type can be specified using ctype “type” or a typecode.
You can learn more about ctypes here:
Typecodes are familiar and easy to use, for example ‘i’ for a signed integer or ‘f’ for a single floating-point value.
You can see a handy table of type codes here:
For example, we can define a Value shared memory variable that holds a signed integer and is initialized to the value zero.
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... # initialize an integer shared variable data = multiprocessing.Value('i', 0) |
This variable can then be initialized in a parent process and shared with a child process
We can change the value of the shared data variable via the “value” attribute.
For example:
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... # change the value of the shared variable data.value = 100 |
We can access the value of the shared data variable via the same “value” attribute.
For example:
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... # access the shared variable value = data.value |
The propagation of changes to the shared variable and mutual exclusion locking of the shared variable is all performed automatically behind the scenes.
Return Variable From Process with Pipe
We can return a variable from a process using the multiprocessing.Pipe class.
In multiprocessing, a pipe is a connection between two processes in Python.
It is used to send data from one process which is received by another process.
Under the covers, a pipe is implemented using a pair of connection objects, provided by the multiprocessing.connection.Connection class.
A pipe can be created by calling the constructor of the multiprocessing.Pipe class, which returns two multiprocessing.connection.Connection objects.
For example:
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... # create a pipe conn1, conn2 = multiprocessing.Pipe() |
By default, the first connection (conn1) can only be used to receive data, whereas the second connection (conn2) can only be used to send data.
Objects can be shared between processes using the Pipe.
The Connection.send() function can be used to send objects from one process to another.
The objects sent must be picklable.
For example:
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... # send an object conn2.send('Hello world') |
The Connection.recv() function can be used to receive objects in one process sent by another.
The objects received will be automatically un-pickled.
For example:
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... # receive an object data = conn1.recv() |
The function call will block until an object is received.
You can learn more about pipes between processes in the tutorial:
Return Variable From Process with Queue
We can return a variable from a process using the multiprocessing.Queue class.
A queue is a data structure on which items can be added by a call to put() and from which items can be retrieved by a call to get().
The multiprocessing.Queue provides a first-in, first-out FIFO queue, which means that the items are retrieved from the queue in the order they were added. The first items added to the queue will be the first items retrieved. This is opposed to other queue types such as last-in, first-out and priority queues.
The multiprocessing.Queue can be used by first creating an instance of the class. This will create an unbounded queue by default, that is, a queue with no size limit.
For example:
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... # created an unbounded queue queue = multiprocessing.Queue() |
Items can be added to the queue via a call to put(), for example:
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... # add an item to the queue queue.put(item) |
By default, the call to put() will block and will not use a timeout.
Items can be retrieved from the queue by calls to get().
For example:
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... # get an item from the queue item = queue.get() |
By default, the call to get() will block until an item is available to retrieve from the queue and will not use a timeout.
You can learn more about multiprocessing queues in the tutorial:
Now that we know how to return a variable from a process, let’s look at some worked examples.
Example of Returning a Variable via a Value
We can return a variable from a process using a multiprocessing.Value.
In this example we will create a shared Value object, then create a new child process that will execute a custom function. The function will generate a random value and store it in the value. This value will then be “returned” to the parent process. Specifically, the parent process will access the shared value set by the child process.
First, we can define a function to execute in the child process.
We will name the function task() and it will take a shared multiprocessing.Value instance as an argument
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# function to execute in a child process def task(variable): # ... |
The function will then generate a random value between 0 and 1 using the random.random() function.
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... # generate some data data = random() |
The generated value will be reported and the process will block for a fraction of a second to simulate computational effort.
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... # block, to simulate computational effort print(f'Generated {data}', flush=True) sleep(data) |
Finally, the child process will store the generated value in the shared variable so that the parent variable can access it.
This simulates a return value from the child process.
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... # return data via value variable.value = data |
Tying this together, the complete task() function is listed below.
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# function to execute in a child process def task(variable): # generate some data data = random() # block, to simulate computational effort print(f'Generated {data}', flush=True) sleep(data) # return data via value variable.value = data |
Next, in the main process we will first create the shared multiprocessing.Value instance.
We will configure it to hold a floating point value and initialize it with the value zero.
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... # create shared variable variable = Value('f', 0.0) |
We can then create a new multiprocessing.Process instance and configure it to execute our task() function and pass the shared variable instance as an argument.
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... # create a child process process process = Process(target=task, args=(variable,)) |
If you are new to executing a function in a new process, see the tutorial:
The process can then be started and the main process will block until the child process terminates using the join() function.
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... # start the process process.start() # wait for the process to finish process.join() |
If you are new to joining a child process, see the tutorial:
Finally, the parent process will access the simulated “return” value from the child process via the shared multiprocessing.Value instance.
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... # report return value print(f'Returned: {variable.value}') |
Tying this together, the complete example is listed below.
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# SuperFastPython.com # example of returning a variable from a process using a value from random import random from time import sleep from multiprocessing import Value from multiprocessing import Process # function to execute in a child process def task(variable): # generate some data data = random() # block, to simulate computational effort print(f'Generated {data}', flush=True) sleep(data) # return data via value variable.value = data # protect the entry point if __name__ == '__main__': # create shared variable variable = Value('f', 0.0) # create a child process process process = Process(target=task, args=(variable,)) # start the process process.start() # wait for the process to finish process.join() # report return value print(f'Returned: {variable.value}') |
Running the example first creates the shared multiprocessing.Value instance.
The child process is configured and started and the main process blocks until the child process terminates.
The child process generates a random value and blocks for a moment. It then stores the generated value in the shared Value instance for the parent process to access.
The child process terminates and the main process unblocks.
The parent process then reports the number stored in the shared Value instance, simulating a return value.
We can see that the generated value in the child process matches the value accessed by the parent process, showing that the simulated return worked as expected.
Note, your specific results will differ given the use of random numbers.
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Generated 0.9047471579259425 Returned: 0.9047471284866333 |
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Example of Returning a Variable via a Pipe
We can simulate returning a variable from a process using a multiprocessing.Pipe.
In this example we will create a pipe which will create two connection objects. One connection object will be passed to the child process and one will be held by the parent process. The child process will perform its work and send its result to the parent process via the pipe connection object.
Firstly, we can define a function to execute in a child process.
The function will take a connection object as an argument, generate a random value between 0 and 1, report it, block for a fraction of a second to simulate work and then send the result via the connection object.
The task() function below implements this.
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# function to execute in a child process def task(connection): # generate some data data = random() # block, to simulate computational effort print(f'Generated {data}', flush=True) sleep(data) # return data via pipe connection.send(data) |
The main process will first create the multiprocessing.Pipe which return two connection objects.
The first connection object is only used for receiving data from the child process and the second connection object is only used to send data from the child process.
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... # create the pipe conn1, conn2 = Pipe() |
We can then configure a new multiprocessing.Process instance to execute our task() function and pass it the connection object for sending. Then the child process can then be started.
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... # create a child process process process = Process(target=task, args=(conn2,)) # start the process process.start() |
The parent process will then call the recv() function on the connection and wait for a result to be “returned” or sent from the child process.
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... # wait for the return value value = conn1.recv() |
Once received, the result can be reported to confirm it matches the value that was generated.
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... # report return value print(f'Returned: {value}') |
Tying this together, the complete example is listed below.
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# SuperFastPython.com # example of returning a variable from a process using a pipe from random import random from time import sleep from multiprocessing import Pipe from multiprocessing import Process # function to execute in a child process def task(connection): # generate some data data = random() # block, to simulate computational effort print(f'Generated {data}', flush=True) sleep(data) # return data via pipe connection.send(data) # protect the entry point if __name__ == '__main__': # create the pipe conn1, conn2 = Pipe() # create a child process process process = Process(target=task, args=(conn2,)) # start the process process.start() # wait for the return value value = conn1.recv() # report return value print(f'Returned: {value}') |
Running the example first creates the Pipe, which returns two connection objects.
The child process is then configured and started.
The parent process then blocks, waiting on the pipe for the result to be sent by the child process.
The child process generates a number, reports it, then sends it to the parent process via the pipe.
The parent process receives value, then reports it.
We can see that the value that was reported by the parent process matches the value generated by the child process.
Note, your specific results will differ given the use of random numbers.
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Generated 0.7498487341429124 Returned: 0.7498487341429124 |
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Example of Returning a Variable via a Queue
We can simulate returning a variable from a process using a multiprocessing.Queue.
In this example we will create a queue which will be shared between the two processes. The child process will prepare some data and put it on the shared queue. The parent process will block and wait for data to arrive on the queue from the child process.
Firstly, we can define a function to execute in a child process.
The function will take the shared queue object as an argument, generate a random value between 0 and 1, report it, block for a fraction of a second to simulate work and then put the result on the queue.
The task() function below implements this.
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# function to execute in a child process def task(queue): # generate some data data = random() # block, to simulate computational effort print(f'Generated {data}', flush=True) sleep(data) # return data via queue queue.put(data) |
The main process will first create the multiprocessing.Queue which will be shared between the processes.
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... # create the queue queue = Queue() |
We can then configure a new multiprocessing.Process instance to execute our task() function and pass it the shared Queue object. Then the child process can then be started.
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... # create a child process process process = Process(target=task, args=(queue,)) # start the process process.start() |
The parent process will then call the get() function on the Queue and wait for a result to be “returned” or sent from the child process.
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... # wait for the return value value = queue.get() |
Once received, the result can be reported to confirm it matches the value that was generated.
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... # report return value print(f'Returned: {value}') |
Tying this together, the complete example is listed below.
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# SuperFastPython.com # example of returning a variable from a process using a queue from random import random from time import sleep from multiprocessing import Queue from multiprocessing import Process # function to execute in a child process def task(queue): # generate some data data = random() # block, to simulate computational effort print(f'Generated {data}', flush=True) sleep(data) # return data via queue queue.put(data) # protect the entry point if __name__ == '__main__': # create the queue queue = Queue() # create a child process process process = Process(target=task, args=(queue,)) # start the process process.start() # wait for the return value value = queue.get() # report return value print(f'Returned: {value}') |
Running the example first creates the shared Queue.
The child process is then configured and started.
The parent process then blocks, waiting in the queue for the result to arrive.
The child process generates a number, reports it, then puts it on the queue to simulate returning a value.
The parent process retrieves a value from the queue and then reports it.
We can see that the value that was reported by the parent process matches the value generated by the child process.
Note, your specific results will differ given the use of random numbers.
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Generated 0.3732253790840232 Returned: 0.3732253790840232 |
Further Reading
This section provides additional resources that you may find helpful.
Python Multiprocessing Books
- Python Multiprocessing Jump-Start, Jason Brownlee (my book!)
- Multiprocessing API Interview Questions
- Multiprocessing API Cheat Sheet
I would also recommend specific chapters in the books:
- Effective Python, Brett Slatkin, 2019.
- See: Chapter 7: Concurrency and Parallelism
- High Performance Python, Ian Ozsvald and Micha Gorelick, 2020.
- See: Chapter 9: The multiprocessing Module
- Python in a Nutshell, Alex Martelli, et al., 2017.
- See: Chapter: 14: Threads and Processes
Guides
- Python Multiprocessing: The Complete Guide
- Python Multiprocessing Pool: The Complete Guide
- Python ProcessPoolExecutor: The Complete Guide
APIs
References
Takeaways
You now know how to return a value from a process.
Do you have any questions?
Ask your questions in the comments below and I will do my best to answer.
Thanks a lot, Jason.
I am just an apprentice of Python trying to make better scripts. This tutorial has been very clear and useful, enough for my needs.
Nice there is people with a clear mind willing to share their knowledge.
Thank you Javier for your kind words.
I’m so happy that the tutorial helped!
good quality of article! ty
Thanks!