How to Ensure Single-Instance Program Execution in Python?

Ensuring Single-Instance Program Execution in Python

Preventing multiple instances of the same program from running concurrently is a common requirement in software development. This article explores a Pythonic approach to achieve this goal while addressing potential issues like program failure.

Solution Overview

The answer provided suggests utilizing the "tendo" package, which offers a cross-platform and lightweight solution for enforcing single-instance program execution. By incorporating this package, developers can prevent duplicate instances of their program from running seamlessly.

Implementation

The code snippet shared in the answer demonstrates how to use tendo to prevent multiple instances of a program:

<code class="python">from tendo import singleton
me = singleton.SingleInstance()  # will sys.exit(-1) if other instance is running</code>

Cross-Platform Compatibility

The provided solution is cross-platform compatible, ensuring that it works on platforms such as Windows, macOS, and Linux. This eliminates the need for platform-specific implementations or workarounds.

Handling Program Failure

The solution gracefully handles program failures, including segfaults. Unlike locking mechanisms that rely on tracking file handles, this approach ensures that the program will terminate if any of its instances encounter an unexpected failure.

Installation Instructions

To install "tendo" and utilize this solution, developers can use any of the following methods:

• easy_install tendo
• pip install tendo
• Manually download the package from PyPI (https://pypi.python.org/pypi/tendo)

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