Python: module for creating PID-based lockfile?

Question

I\'m writing a Python script that may or may not (depending on a bunch of things) run for a long time, and I\'d like to make sure that multiple instances (started via cron)

Answer 1

i've been pretty unhappy with all of those, so i wrote this:

class Pidfile():
    def __init__(self, path, log=sys.stdout.write, warn=sys.stderr.write):
        self.pidfile = path
        self.log = log
        self.warn = warn

    def __enter__(self):
        try:
            self.pidfd = os.open(self.pidfile, os.O_CREAT|os.O_WRONLY|os.O_EXCL)
            self.log('locked pidfile %s' % self.pidfile)
        except OSError as e:
            if e.errno == errno.EEXIST:
                pid = self._check()
                if pid:
                    self.pidfd = None
                    raise ProcessRunningException('process already running in %s as pid %s' % (self.pidfile, pid));
                else:
                    os.remove(self.pidfile)
                    self.warn('removed staled lockfile %s' % (self.pidfile))
                    self.pidfd = os.open(self.pidfile, os.O_CREAT|os.O_WRONLY|os.O_EXCL)
            else:
                raise

        os.write(self.pidfd, str(os.getpid()))
        os.close(self.pidfd)
        return self

    def __exit__(self, t, e, tb):
        # return false to raise, true to pass
        if t is None:
            # normal condition, no exception
            self._remove()
            return True
        elif t is PidfileProcessRunningException:
            # do not remove the other process lockfile
            return False
        else:
            # other exception
            if self.pidfd:
                # this was our lockfile, removing
                self._remove()
            return False

    def _remove(self):
        self.log('removed pidfile %s' % self.pidfile)
        os.remove(self.pidfile)

    def _check(self):
        """check if a process is still running

the process id is expected to be in pidfile, which should exist.

if it is still running, returns the pid, if not, return False."""
        with open(self.pidfile, 'r') as f:
            try:
                pidstr = f.read()
                pid = int(pidstr)
            except ValueError:
                # not an integer
                self.log("not an integer: %s" % pidstr)
                return False
            try:
                os.kill(pid, 0)
            except OSError:
                self.log("can't deliver signal to %s" % pid)
                return False
            else:
                return pid

class ProcessRunningException(BaseException):
    pass

to be used something like this:

try:
    with Pidfile(args.pidfile):
        process(args)
except ProcessRunningException:
    print "the pid file is in use, oops."